Who can resist the beautiful colors and flavors of fall. Even when the temperature says 85 degrees, I can’t seem to hold back my desire for winter squash and root veggies. Today’s Back to Our Roots Vegan Dinner Bowl combines warmed, ginger kale with colorful roasted roots. The entire bowl is then drizzled with my Ginger Kabocha sauce, sprinkled with lightly toasted pumpkin seeds and topped with fresh, crunchy pea shoots. Now, that’s a bowl full of plant power!
My favorite fall and winter root veggies include:
- colorful carrots
- parsnips
- turnips
- beets
- celery root
- burdock root (can be found most seasons)
- sweet potatoes (I especially love the colors of purple sweets, also known as Stokes Purple ® Sweet Potatoes)
Benefits of root veggies:
You’re doing your waist line and digestive tract a favor by adding roots to your diet. Root vegetables contain ‘slow to digest’ carbohydrates and gut-loving fiber. Both are beneficial for keeping blood-sugar balanced and your tummy feeling full.
Ingredient Transparency:
Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Trader Joe’s Encinitas
Wheat Free Tamari: Ohsawa Organic Tamari from Gold Mine Natural Foods
Mirin: Eden Foods
Purple Potatoes: Jimbo’s Naturally – Carlsbad Location at the Forum Shops
- 1 kabocha squash, roasted and puréed
- 2 bunches red russian or dino kale (I used one bunch of each)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon wheat-free tamari
- 3 Purple sweet potatoes, diced or sliced into rounds
- 3 Large Carrots, diced or sliced into rounds
- 2 Parsnips, diced or sliced into rounds
- Optional: Any root veggies of choice
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger root
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- sea salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut kabocha squash in half.
- Remove seeds and pulp.
- Place upside down in a roasting dish with a little water (about 1/8")
- Roast until kabocha is tender.
- Let cool completely.
- Scoop out flesh and purée in a blender or food processor with 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or any spices of your choosing) and a pinch of sea salt. Blend until creamy. Feel free to add a little water to thin out if needed.
- Done with that step!
- Prep root veggies, (slice or dice - making sure they are uniform in size)
- Toss veggies in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
- Lay coated veggies out on a baking sheet in a single layer. This step helps create even cooking.
- Roast 20-25 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Remove from oven and set aside.
- Prep kale by removing the long center stalk (rib) of each leaf.
- Chop kale into bite-size pieces.
- Using a large skillet, over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, and 1 tablespoon mirin. Stir until garlic begins to bounce around in the heat.
- Immediately add chopped kale and 1 tablespoon water. Stir well, making sure the ginger is mixed in with the kale and not sitting at the bottom of your skillet.
- Add a splash of gluten-free tamari and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes.
- Note: I like my kale slightly wilted, but not overly done. This only requires about a minute of cooking time.
- Divide kale equally among 4 bowls. Add roasted root veggies, and toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds. (I've also made these bowls with raw hemp seeds). Drizzle with your kabocha sauce and serve warm.
- ENJOY!
- vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free
- All recipes and images are protected under copyright laws and owned by Kris Kelly and Goofy Foot Foods.