The gorgeous colors in this roasted radish medley reflect its deeply satisfying taste. Radishes, baby beets, carrots, and Cipollini onions are roasted in a sauce of honey, olive oil, wine vinegar, and garlic. Roasting brings out a mellow flavor in the vegetables, especially the radishes. The lightly sweet flavors from the carrots and onions are balanced with the distinctively earthy taste of the beets.
It feels good knowing that these vegetables, grown in the earth, contain lots of vitamins and minerals to infuse my body with good energy. And the bright colors make them fun to work with. I know there are many people who don’t like radishes or beets. But when they are roasted in this flavorful sauce with their mellow flavors released from the roasting, and the melt-in-your-mouth texture, they really are delicious, especially when eaten warm, right out of the oven.
I adapted this recipe from one I found in the May/June issue of Victoria magazine. I find that magazine so inspiring, with its beautiful photographs and stories about women who follow their dreams. I only changed a few things in my recipe–I used orange carrots instead of white, and used baby beets instead of Chioggia beets. Also, I used white wine vinegar instead of Champagne vinegar, and my cooking time ended up taking a few minutes longer.
I find that I really enjoy working with vegetables. As I was peeling the skin off of the onions, I was thinking, you can’t really be in a rush to do this job….but then I realized how often I am in a rush–either in a true hurry to get somewhere on time, or a self-imposed rush to get more and more done. I let go of that feeling for a few minutes and peeled the onions, noticing their smell and their texture, and paid attention to the pretty pink hues of the beets and radishes as I washed them. I noticed that the beet stems look like roses. That the stripes in the beets are amazing. In the middle of a day and evening full of obligations and schedules, there was a window of time when I was present with the beauty of nature.
I am still working on posting some meals that can be ready quickly, or made ahead of time to be eaten when hungry people get home from soccer games and track meets….That is also part of my family’s reality. But for today, I am sharing a recipe that gave me a meditation with the vegetables, and made me feel more in touch with our beautiful earth (and with myself too). If you have a 20 minute window of time (plus about 25 minutes for while the vegetables roast), I highly recommend it. I hope you all have a great weekend! This week, Fiesta Friday is co-hosted by Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau and Scarlett @ Unwed Housewife, and I look forward to checking out some inspiring posts over there!
Roasted Radish Medley
Ingredients:
- approximately 1 pound of radishes, washed and trimmed, with about 1/2 inch of the green tops still on, cut in half length-wise
- 3-4 medium-sized carrots, washed and peeled, cut in half length-wise and then cut in half width-wise
- 8 ounces of Cipollini onions (you can also use pearl onions), peeled and blanched
- 4 baby beets (or 2 small Chioggia beets, if you can find them), trimmed, washed, and halved length-wise (it helps if the beet pieces are about the same size as the radishes, so the roasting time works for all the vegetables)
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- black pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
In a small bowl, place the honey, olive oil, minced garlic, white wine vinegar, and melted butter. Whisk to combine.
In a large bowl, combine the radishes, carrots, blanched onions, and beets. Pour in the honey mixture and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Spread the vegetables on the baking sheet in a single layer, cut side down. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Roast in your 425-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm. Enjoy!
This recipe is adapted from one in the May/June 2016 issue of Victoria magazine
This recipe is adapted from a favorite orange walnut bread recipe in one of the many cookbooks I have collected from various churches over the years. Once I got started making the bread, I realized I didn’t have the orange juice the recipe called for. I also didn’t have enough walnuts. My husband suggested I use lemonade instead of the orange juice, and I used a combination of walnuts and pecans. The bread turned out great! I actually like it better than the traditional orange walnut bread. The lemonade gives it a sunny flavor and such a pretty, delicate color.
The making of this bread helped soothe my nerves. I made it a day or so before my daughter was to leave on her overnight class trip to Chicago. I know she loves this bread, and making it for her made me feel like I was giving her an extra hug before she waved goodbye and hopped on the bus. It is true that food can express love in ways that words sometimes cannot. I look forward to hearing all about her trip when she gets back!
Meanwhile, spring marches on with warm days and cold days, bright sun, rain, and wind. The key is to dress in layers, since it changes so quickly! The scene around us is becoming more colorful by the day. After the browns and grays of winter, it feels good to see such bright colors. Our cherry trees are starting to blossom! Bright yellow dandelions decorate bright green grass. I hope you are all having a great week!
Our mornings are still chilly at this time of year, so a nice warm bowl of quinoa with fruit and nuts is comforting and cozy, as well as delicious and healthy. Spring comes in fits and starts here, rarely smoothly. Following our spring snowstorms we had a major heat wave, and now it’s back to damp, foggy weather today. The spring peepers have started, stopped, and started peeping again at least a couple of times in the past couple of weeks. They say that after the peepers have started and stopped peeping three times, then spring is finally here to stay. I have lost count, but we must be about there. Our lilac bushes and cherry trees have little buds on them. A birch tree we thought was dead has just sprouted tiny little leaves!
With spring comes soccer for our kids, which means full schedules and lots of muddy laundry, mixed with lots of fresh air and fun. I get a chance to spend time with my fellow soccer moms, who are some of my favorite people on this earth. Last night they helped me identify some recipe ideas to develop in the coming weeks, since we are all in need of quick, energizing foods and spring crock pot ideas to help us get through these active times with grace and vitality. I have lots to work on!
No matter what the weather is–cold or hot, damp or windy, have you noticed how good the spring air smells? It is full of the promise of new life and new experiences, while at the same time waking up long-buried emotions and bringing back memories from past springs. No wonder spring is such an emotional time! That’s why it’s important to have a good, stabilizing breakfast. I hope you all have a lovely weekend! I’m sharing this post with Angie’s 
