vegetable – Strong Roots Nutrition

August 21, 2017

Paprika Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes are the ultimate comfort food to me. Boil them, mash them, roast them, bake them, make pancakes or pasta out of them... the answer will always be yes. It's fortunate, then, that potatoes provide valuable nutrition as well as valuable flavor. A medium potato has more potassium than a banana, 8% of your daily fiber needs, 45% of your daily vitamin C, and 6% of your daily iron. I'm convinced that there's no wrong way to cook a potato, but this way is one of my favorites for a quick weeknight side. These have been spiced with smoky paprika and roasted until[...]

appetizer, summer, vegetable, vegetarian

July 3, 2017

Mexican Street Corn

Happy [almost] birthday, America! I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday weekend, spending time with loved ones, and practicing a little R&R. After some much-needed time in the woods and in the kitchen, I'm back in work mode today and bringing some Mexican Street Corn your way! There has been a lingering chance of rain and thunderstorms in the STL area this 4th, so the backup plan to burgers and grilling in this house is carnitas and street corn. Not a very American menu, but a super delicious one nonetheless. On this holiday celebrating freedom, le[...]

favorites, main dish, pasta, summer, vegetable, vegetarian, weeknight

June 26, 2017

Simple Burst Tomato Pasta

My favorite recipes to share aren't the ones that look extravagant or take hours of prep to make. They're the practical ones: the ones that I myself make on a regular basis, the ones that can be whipped up on a weeknight, the ones that take under an hour to prepare. Sometimes it's fun to spend hours cooking something new and elaborate, but most of the time, I want to cook something that's tasty, fast, and gets the job done. Like this pasta. I started making this pasta when I had my first real garden and my Super Sweet 100 tomato was going crazy, vining all over[...]

appetizer, main dish, meal prep, pasta, salad, side, summer, vegetable, vegetarian

May 29, 2017

Greek-ed Out Couscous Salad

This grain salad was exactly what was needed after a steamy couple of weeks in the Midwest. It's hearty enough to be filling but tastes light and cool on a hot day. Grain salads tend to make great dishes for advance preparation; they can typically be served cold, warm, or room temperature, they last several days in the fridge, and they only get tastier as they sit and their flavors meld together. So many thumbs up. This dish will be even better if you can find a really good feta. I stumbled across the most delicious Greek feta when[...]

main dish, meal prep, soup, summer, vegetable, vegetarian

May 22, 2017

Summer Minestrone with Farro

A good pot of soup is such a good thing. I love to make a big batch at the start of the week and have enough leftovers for days of packable lunches. Pair with a loaded-up salad and a big slice of crusty bread and done! This soup does well with this make-ahead method: the vegetables hold up to reheating, and a fresh drizzle of pesto and grating of Parmesan easily brings it back to life. Prepping meals in advance can be extremely helpful when you don't necessarily have time to cook every day. Cooking in bulk not only allows you to spend less time in[...]