The sweetest thing

Our first CSA box came in, containing corn, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, one large patty pan squash, daikon radishes, beets, carrots, kale, onions, and new potatoes. We decided to roast the beets, some carrots, and an onion with some sweet potatoes we needed to use (following, sort of, a recipe called "beets and sweets"). We started the chopped carrots and beets in a 400 degree oven with a little olive oil for 15 minutes, at which point we added the chopped sweet potatoes and onions which had been tossed in a mixture of olive oil and equal parts garlic powder, sugar, pepper (or, in our case, grill seasoning), and kosher salt. Then we cooked it all for another 45 minutes or so until everything was fork tender. And it was delicious!! I still don't love beets since they are a tad too earthy for me, but this method makes them sweeter and tastier than I've ever experienced.

Apparently, such a recipe is called a winter vegetable roast, but here were my beets and carrots in the middle of the summer, so I'm going to call it seasonal cooking and feel proud of our efforts. We also had the daikon radishes sliced thinly on chicken wraps along with our own tomatoes and lettuce, which was also good, though I'm not a huge radish fan. These are less biting than red radishes and my mother soaked them in a little salt water before we ate them, which made their flavor even milder. They certainly add crunch and a new taste to otherwise pedestrian wraps.

Next up: pasta with kale and sweet peppers. Stay tuned!