I had the loose idea for this winter vegetable stack thingy in my mind, so I went to work on it instead. And by “went to work on it” I mean: I raged. Like hard. I still hadn’t accepted that my tiny plans for my tiny website on the huge internet on this gigantic earth had gone awry. I slapped it all together, made a huge mess, enjoyed eating it in a hurried way, but then started wondering if this was the kind of thing that only I could enjoy (just adding to my ridiculous rage-pile, you know). Sometimes when Mark and I are thinking about going out to eat somewhere and he asks me what I feel like, I put my hands up and huff out “I just want a plate of vegetables!” (likely cranky from way too much sugar at that point). He’s usually good at sorting a tangible plan out of my ambiguous wishes for fibre and vitamins, making me realize that I’m being a huge pain, and eventually forging a way ahead. It takes two to make the meal-time satiation thing go right sometimes.

So if you’re like me and you enjoy just a bunch of vegetables for dinner/any meal, this could definitely be your thing. It’s pretty easy in a make-ahead sense too. Roast the veggie slices, make the lentils, blend the dressing, keep everything warm until you’re ready to serve, build, drizzle, garnish, voila! Fancy healthy-happy dinner time for you and the total babe in your life. To go along with your amorous or perhaps self-love motivated cooking adventures (the second one is more important), my friend Michelle made TWO music mixes for you to enjoy, one highlighting the glow-y, lightbulb-level-warm heart fullness of love, the other speaking more to some straight-up heartbreak. Click the picture at the bottom of the post for the two separate downloads!

All my kisses, hugs, songs + plates of vegetables,
Laura

lemon rosemary winter vegetable stacks w/ lentils + creamy horseradish vinaigrette
serves: 2
notes: Do remember to cover the beets for two thirds of the cooking process. I’ve had beets shrivel up so horribly because I forgot to cover them while roasting. You can also make all of these components ahead of time and just re-warm them for serving, making meal time a little quicker and less harried.

vegetables:
2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed + chopped
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 small celery root, peeled
1 fat sweet potato, peeled
1 large beet, peeled
1 head of cauliflower, trimmed

lentils:
2 tsp grapeseed oil
1 shallot, diced fine
1/2 cup lentils (I used a mix of French + brown), rinsed
1 cup filtered water + extra
salt to taste

horseradish + maple vinaigrette:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
splash of filtered water
1 tsp dijon mustard
1.5 tbsp maple syrup
horseradish to taste (I used 2 heaped tsp of fresh grated horseradish root)
salt + pepper
heavy 1/3 cup grapeseed or olive oil

to serve:
black olives
very roughly chopped parsley (I keep it rough because I like it as a separate, leafy kind of component-not just a garnish kinda thing)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 medium-large baking sheets with parchment + 1 extra, smaller baking sheet. Set aside.

Combine the rosemary, lemon juice and oil in a small bowl. Set aside.

Slice the celery root + sweet potato about an inch thick across. You want to cut them so that you get a large cross section for stacking. Cut one little portion off of the bottom of each vegetable so that you have a flat and steady surface for the vegetable to rest on the cutting board. Proceed to make slices from there. Lay the celery root + sweet potato slices on one of the medium-large baking sheets. Brush both sides of all vegetables with the rosemary and lemon oil, season with salt and pepper, and slide baking sheet into the oven. These should take about 35-40 minutes to brown up and soften. Remove and set aside.

Slice the beets about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Lay the slices on the smaller sheet. Brush with the lemon, rosemary and oil mixture, season with salt and pepper. Cover baking sheet with foil and place in the oven. Slide baking sheet into the oven. Roast for 20 minutes covered. Remove the foil and roast for another 10-15 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Slice the cauliflower into 1 inch thick cross sections with the core intact. Lay the slices on the last baking sheet and brush with the rosemary + lemon oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper and slide into the oven. The cauliflower should take about 20-25 minutes, so make sure you prep this one last. Remove and set aside.

While the vegetables are roasting, start the lentils. Heat the 2 tsp grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add the diced shallots. Stir them around until they become translucent and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the rinsed lentils to the pan and stir them around in the oil and shallots. Add the water to the pan. bring lentils to a very faint simmer, like just a couple bubbles coming to the surface here and there. Cook until the lentils are soft with a tiny bit of bite intact, topping up the pot with more water as necessary, about 25-30 minutes. Season lentils with salt and stir in a glug of olive oil to keep the lentils individual.

Make the vinaigrette: Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a blender and blend on medium-high until mixture is creamy and incorporated. Check for seasoning, adjust to your liking and set aside. I tend to like vinaigrettes on the more acidic side, so you may wish to add more oil.

To serve, divide the warm lentils among 2 dinner plates, pressing down on them with the back of a spoon to make a flat surface. Stack the roasted vegetables on top of the flattened lentils. Drizzle the whole thing with horseradish vinaigrette. Garnish with olives and chopped parsley. Serve warm.

Click the picture below for mixes!

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Celery and apples are delicious together so I knew that celery root and apple cider would be pretty good buds too. Making a reduction sounds fairly advanced, but it’s usually easy. Just throw some flavours and liquids into a pot, bring it to a boil and simmer the mixture down until it thickens a bit. So simple! If you want to make this more of a side dish kind of thing, you can chop the celery root up smaller and toss it with the reduction when it comes out of the oven. Put a little sprinkle of herb on top and you’ve got a fine little side attraction for whatever you’re serving up (possibly Thanksgiving fare?).

I know that plating it in the way I’ve shown is suggesting a sort of meat-replacement thing. Maybe you’re wondering where the protein is, if the meal is complete or satisfying and on and on. Here’s a little insight on my daily eating habits: quite often, I just feel like a plate of vegetables. As long as I’ve been vegetarian/vegan, I have loved to eat this way. If I see a variety of colours/textures and whole foods on my plate throughout the day, I know my nutrient intake is up to snuff. I don’t fret if my protein or vitamin B12 etc etc intake seems off. I eat unprocessed and colourful foods. That’s it. So easy and feel-good. No nutrition labels to read? No problem.

roasted celery root with apple cider reduction
serves: 2
notes: If you want to make this a side dish, look for a slightly larger celery root, dice it into cubes, roast it and toss it in the reduction before serving. It should take about 15 minutes to cook at the smaller size.

celery root:
1 small to medium celery root, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 sprig of thyme, leaves removed and lightly chopped
1 tbsp grape seed oil
salt and pepper

reduction:
2 cups apple cider
1 sprig of thyme
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp natural sugar
2-3 black peppercorns

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Start the reduction: Place all reduction ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and keep at a lively simmer until reduced by two thirds. I ended up with a bit more than a 1/4 cup. Stir occasionally. Strain the mixture, pour it back into the saucepan and place it on a low burner to keep warm.

Roast the celery root: toss the slices of celery root with the oil, chopped thyme, salt and pepper. Place slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. Flip the slices at the half way point for even browning. Remove celery root from the oven when golden brown and tender.

Serve celery root with warm reduction on top. Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley or other fresh herb of your choice (chives would be nice too).

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