I’ve been in such a veggie rut lately! Even though my ‘job’ as a food blogger is to come up with new, interesting recipes on a day to day basis, I TOO get in recipe ruts!

Lately I’ve been making the same ole’ recipes (which of course are family faves) such as Ratatouille, Roasted Root Veggie Mash, Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms and Peas, and Pan-Roasted Pizza-Flavoured Cauliflower.

Another reason for my veggie rut is the fact that my son has (all of the sudden) become anti-veg! He especially dislikes root vegetables, even potatoes! I’m pretty sure that it’s a consistency thing because he seems to like the flavour of them but doesn’t actually like chewing them! I came up with this recipe, sweetened with maple syrup (which he loves!) in the hopes that it would convert him.

This recipe is a cross between my Roasted Root Veggie Mash and Ginger-Glazed Carrots and Caramelized Onions and is an ideal side dish for the entire family, served chunky or mashed for baby.

My husband and I both loved this and the recipe was also a hit with my 1 year old daughter (FYI, this is a great baby-led weaning kind of dish!). It was NOT however, a hit with my son. Actually, he ‘tried’ to like it…he put a forkful in his mouth, tried to savour the flavour for a few seconds, and then once he actually bit into the veggies, he spit them out!

Moral of the story: You can’t win them all! If 3 out of 4 family members love this then it’s a ‘hit” to me!

(On a side note, I KNOW my son will also love this once he gets over his ‘issue’ with root vegetables!)

Ingredients
(Serves 4 as a side dish)
1 pound carrots
1 pound parsnips
1 tsp. thyme
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
1-2 tbs. freshly chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel carrots and parsnips then chop into 1-2 inch pieces. *It doesn’t matter how small or large the pieces are as long as they are uniform.

Place vegetables on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add the maple syrup, oil, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir with a spoon (or mix with your hands until all the veggies are well-coated).

Place in the preheated oven and cook for 35-40 minutes or until fork tender.

Serve chunky to toddlers and the rest of the family…

Or remove baby’s portion, add some breast milk, formula or vegetable broth and puree or mash with a fork.

Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and another drizzle of maple syrup.