These roasted veggies are a staple menu item in our house. I serve them at breakfast with fried eggs and a little cheese or avocado mousse, or at dinner either tossed with quinoa or as an accompaniment to broiled salmon or halibut. The leftover vegetables are fantastic cold or warmed up as a snack. Anytime you have it, this is a delicious, nourishing, and filling blend.
In addition to being an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene (the plant form of vitamin A), with a cup of sweet potatoes containing over 300% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). They’re also high in fiber, potassium, and vitamin B-6. The beets are an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals including folate, vitamin C, iron, potassium, and manganese. Beets are also one of the best sources of inorganic nitrates which get converted in our bodies to nitric oxide, a potent vasodilator which lowers blood pressure. Nitrates from beets have also been linked to improved exercise endurance. Finally, I include brussels sprouts in this roasted vegetable batch because they’re a high protein and fiber vegetable that’s also high in vitamin C, B-6, and iron. Roasting brussels sprouts brings out their natural sweetness while reducing bitterness.
- 3 cups Brussels sprouts, raw
- 2 medium Sweet Potatoes (3 cups cubed), raw,
- 4 medium Beets (2 cups cubed), raw
- 3 Tbl Avocado oil (olive oil or coconut oil is an okay substitute)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
- Soak brussels sprouts in cold water to remove any dirt or debris from the leaves.
- Remove brussels from water and slice off the woody end then remove the outer tough leaves from the sprout. Finally, cut each sprout in half length-wise. Place into a large prep bowl.
- Peel sweet potato.
- Cut the sweet potato in half and then into quarters to make dicing the potato into small (1/2" dice pieces) easier.
- Dice all sweet potato into roughly ½" pieces and place them into the prep bowl with the brussels sprouts.
- Wash and scrub the beets, but don't peel them.
- Cut off the end of the beet where the greens grow & discard the end. (If you purchased beets with greens, clean the greens and sauté them up with a little oil, salt and pepper, then toss them into the roasted veggies when they're cooked!)
- Cut beets into roughly 1" dice pieces and add to the prep bowl with the brussels and sweet potatoes.
- Drizzle all veggies with the avocado or olive oil and stir well to coat all the veggies. Season generously with salt and pepper, again stirring to ensure uniform distribution of the spices.
- Place veggies onto baking trays, being careful not to over-load the trays. There should be a little space between the veggies.
- Place trays into oven and cook for approximately 40 minutes at 400°F. At about the 20 minute mark, pull the trays out and stir the veggies, to ensure even cooking/browning.
*Not all calories are equal.