Roasted Winter Veggies

Sometimes I forget that February has seasonal produce. I tend to think of late winter and early spring as the land of frozen veggies. This dish smacks my stereotype around, featuring the jewels of the winter produce section: the long keepers.

Some veggies are hardy, even after picking. They were very popular before refrigerators but not as much any more (probably because they were cooked into mush so often). Time for a revival.

Options abound:
All of the potatoes including my favorite, the sweet potato (a veggie, not a starch - Yay!)
Winter squashes: acorn, butternut, pumpkin, just to name a few
Roots: carrots, turnips, rutabaga, parsnips, beets

For this recipe, I included several varieties of veggies and kept the spices simple to enjoy the different vegetables. The lentils add protein to the one-dish vegetarian meal.

Ingredients
1 c lentils
1 small onion, chopped
Medley of winter veggies, such as:
  1 large sweet potato
  3 red potatoes
  1 rutabaga
  3 carrots
  2 parsnips
3 T olive oil
1 T dried parsley
1 t salt

Directions
Cook lentils in 4-6 c of water for 20 minutes. While the lentils cook, peel and cube the veggies in bite size pieces. Combine all ingredients together in a roasting pan and bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes. It's that simple.

Two of my newest favorite recipes that capitalize on another staple of winter veggies: brassicas.
Brussel Sprouts and Bacon by Alton Brown
Broccoli Rabe and Sausage by Cake Boss