Turnips for the first time…

Today I tried a new recipe from the October issue of Cooking Light and it was a big hit. Honey-Roasted Root Vegetables was super easy to make and so delicious that I will definitely be repeating this one over and over throughout the winter months. The vegetables got soft and tender, sweet and salty, a perfect combination and balance of flavors! I followed the recipe and added a little bit more salt and a few cloves of garlic to the mixture. There was no way I was going to turn on my oven to roast some veggies and not throw in some garlic cloves… I love garlic, especially roasted! (I like “roasted” anything!)
I don’t even have much to say about this dish, except that it was so good that I am in love with it! The shallots and garlic were perfect and of the veggies my favorite was definitely the sweet potatoes, which happens to be one of Matheus’ favorite veggies too, and he also loved the side dish today!
Besides being a new recipe, it was also the first time I tried Turnips! I have not made it before and don’t actually remember eating it in either my mother or grandmother’s home. A new experience today, something different that I actually liked and will make again for sure!
The veggies were the side dish and coming from an Italian heritage, Sunday is usually “pasta day” around here. Today was no exception and we had Fettuccine Alfredo, another CL recipe. This one is our basic and favorite Alfredo sauce; I have been making it for years. It is creamy, cheesy and best of all it is light, no added cream in this one. Plus, it is not difficult at all to make, and if you want to prevent lumps just try making it as I do: dissolve the flour in the milk and add it all at once to the sautéed garlic, then slowly cook it over low heat so that the flour cooks properly and the sauce thickens without leaving any raw flour taste.
Maybe in the real “cooking world” Fettuccine Alfredo won’t pair up well with Honey-roasted veggies, but we had it together today, along with roasted chicken, and lunch was actually surprisingly good!
Here go the two winner recipes, hope you all like it too! Happy Sunday!

Ana

Honey-Roasted Root Vegetables
2 cups coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato (about 1 large)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled turnip (about 2 medium)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped parsnip (about 2 medium)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped carrot (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup tupelo honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 shallots, halved
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°.
Combine all ingredients except the cooking spray in a large bowl; toss to coat. Place vegetable mixture on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender and begin to brown, stirring every 15 minutes.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
Cooking Light, October 2005
(Notes: recipe says 8 servings, but I would say it serves 6, the veggies shrink a lot… we ate most of it today, and are only 3 people!)

We actually had "spaghetti alfredo" today, as we only had that pasta shape in the house...

Fettuccine Alfredo
1 tablespoon margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 /3 cups milk
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 cups cooked fettuccine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper

Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in flour. Gradually add skim milk, stirring with a wire whisk until mixture is blended. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
Stir in cream cheese; cook 2 minutes. Add 1-cup Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until Parmesan cheese melts. Pour sauce over hot cooked fettuccine, and toss well to coat. Top fettuccine with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and pepper.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Cooking Light, January 1996.