APPENDIX T

Root Vegetable Recipes

Honey and Chipotle Roasted
Sweet Potato Spears

Adapted from Diane Morgan (2012), Roots: The Definitive Compendium With More Than 225 Recipes (San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books).

Ingredients

4 lb medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled, halved crosswise, and sliced into ½-inch wedges

1 tablespoon plus ½ cup unsalted organic butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

½ cup honey

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

1.  Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Put the sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of butter.

2.  In a small saucepan, melt the remaining ½ cup butter over medium heat. Whisk in the chile powder and then add the honey, lime juice, and salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and simmer for 3 minutes to meld the glaze.

3.  Pour the glaze over the sweet potatoes and toss until well coated. Spread the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, making sure to scrape all of the glaze from the bowl onto them. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

4.  Roast the sweet potatoes for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and baste the sweet potatoes with the pan glaze. Continue to bake, basting every 10 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender, nicely browned, and caramelized at the edges, about 20 minutes longer. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a low oven for up to 30 minutes and then baste again just before serving.

Honeyed Carrots

By Rudolph C. Ryser

Ingredients

1 pound carrots

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon dried French tarragon

4 drops stevia liquid

2 tablespoons raw honey

Directions

1.  Peel the carrots and cut into halves and quarters of equal size.

2.  Heat a cast-iron pan on medium and slowly melt butter.

3.  Place cut and quartered carrots in the pan and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender.

4.  Add tarragon, stevia, and honey to the carrots and stir lightly. When all ingredients are fully integrated, turn out onto a serving dish and serve immediately.

Yucca Fries With Cilantro-Lime
Dipping Sauce

Recipe adapted from Diane Morgan (2012), Roots: The Definitive Compendium With More Than 225 Recipes (San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books)

Cilantro is a powerful detoxifier of heavy metals.

Ingredients

Dipping Sauce

½ cup sour cream

½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

2 tsp fresh lime juice

¼ tsp fine sea salt

Fries

1½ lb yucca

8 cups water

Fine sea salt

3 small dried red chiles such as chile de árbol

About 5 cups peanut, grapeseed, or vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions

1.  Begin by making the dipping sauce. Combine all dipping sauce ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2.  Trim the ends off of the yucca and peel off the skin. Cut the yucca in half and remove the fibrous core in the center.

3.  Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, add 2 tbsp of salt and the chiles, and then add the yucca. Simmer, uncovered, until tender (but not mushy) when pierced with a wooden skewer or fork, about 20 minutes. The yucca may cook at different rates, so check often for tenderness and remove the tender ones. Drain the yucca in a colander, and then transfer to a bowl of ice water. When it has cooled down, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Slice the yucca into thick fries about ¾ inch thick.

4.  Line two baking sheets with two layers of paper towels. Have ready a slotted spoon or wire mesh skimmer. Pour the oil in a deep, heavy pot or wok so it is about 3 inches deep, heat to 360 degrees F (use a deep-frying thermometer). Fry the yucca in small batches. Add a handful of fries to the hot oil and fry, and cook until they are golden brown, stirring once or twice, 2 ½ to 3 minutes (test a fry to make sure it is crispy on the outside and soft inside). Use the slotted spoon/skimmer to remove the fries from the oil and place them on the paper towels to absorb the oil. Sprinkle with salt. Continue cooking small batches of fries, rechecking the oil temperature to make sure it stays at 360 degrees F.

5.  Serve hot with the dipping sauce.