RECIPE: Orange and fennel salad; winter root veggie roast

A new feature from my friend Amy. I'll post her wholefood-based recipes on the blog with the subject starter "RECIPE." Use them as resources if you wish. If you're trying to eat more sustainably this year, you may find them useful. Bon appetit!

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(from Amy)

For those of us who don't live in perpetually summer climates like Florida, winter can be a hard time to eat healthily and sustainably. Lots of fruits and veggies are flown in from Chile or Mexico, but they tend to be expensive and kind of pathetic looking.

Fortunately there are some very tasty and very healthy winter produce options. Winter is prime time for citrus and root vegetables, as well as Brussels sprouts.

Here are some (fairly easy) winter recipes that I have tried this year:

Orange and fennel salad
-6 oranges, peeled, divided into sections, with membranes, pith(white stuff) and seeds removed
-1 cup of very thinly sliced fennel bulb
-1/2 cup pomegranate juice
-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss fennel and orange segments together. Bring pomegranate juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Let boil for 3 minutes or until reduced by half. Let cool. Whisk reduced juice together with olive oil and drizzle over orange-fennel mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper.


Winter root veggie roast
2 large turnips
2 medium russett potatoes
1 large sweet potato
3 carrots
1 red onion
1 fennel bulb
3 sprigs rosemary
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Clean and peel all veggies. Cut vegetables into roughly 1-inch cubes/pieces.

Rub a small amount of olive oil onto the bottom of a baking sheet. Spread vegetables evenly over the baking sheet in one layer. Use a 2nd baking sheet if vegetables are crowded.

Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place into oven and cook for 25 minutes, tossing vegetables occasionally to prevent sticking.

Remove rosemary leaves from stems and sprinkle over vegetables. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.