Roasted Parsnips

Last night I watched the first episode of "Food Revolution" and it really struck a chord with me.  I was teary-eyed during most of the show and actually had to walk away from it for a little while to take a breath.  I knew the show was about Jamie Oliver going into a town and helping change their eating habits, but seeing how most American children eat on a daily basis was very difficult to watch.  I'm so thankful Jamie is willing to go against the mainstream and help people make a change. 

Whether you've been reading for a while or it's your first time here, I want you to know you're the complete reason I write this blog.  I truly want to help you succeed in the kitchen and enable you to feed your family healthy, delicious, homemade meals.  Seven years ago, I was a normal "supermarket shopper," looking for convenience, good taste, and price.  I didn't understand people who only ate organic foods or ground their own wheat, so if you're just starting out, I really do understand.  I understand this can all seem overwhelming and some days you'll want to throw in the towel, but I assure you that making even small changes can have a huge impact on your health and well being.

As many of you know, I have a cookbook coming out this fall.  The true motive behind writing the book was to enable more people to cook organic meals their whole family will love.  I really don't care how many books I sell or how many "hits" I get a day on my blog.  As long as I'm helping and teaching you to cook healthy meals at home, I've succeeded.  If you need more guidance or help, please feel free to email me and I'd love to give you more advice or point you to helpful sources so you can continue on your journey to healthy eating.

I've had many friends tell me they don't enjoy eating vegetables and I've found one of the most simple ways to add more veggies to your diet is roasting them in the oven.  It's simple and the high heat brings out the sweetness in any vegetable (in fact, many vegetables I don't enjoy raw or sauteed are fantastic when roasted).  I've received tons of parsnips in my produce box lately and we all loved them tossed with coconut oil, salt and pepper and roasted until golden brown and slighlty crispy.

Congratulations to ZarpandiT!  You're the winner of the Le Creuset baking dishes!  Please send me your information to: DeliciouslyOrganic [at] yahoo [dot] com.  I'm hoping you'll use them to create your own Food Revolution.

Roasted Parsnips

Serves 4-6

6 large parsnips, washed, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 tablespoon coconut oil (click here to read more about this oil)

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position.  Toss parsnips with coconut oil and season generously with sea salt and pepper.  Pour out onto an oiled baking dish in a single layer.  Roast for 15 minutes and then stir parsnips.  Roast for another 10 minutes until golden brown.  Serve immediately.