Have you ever been asked, “How do you prepare a Vegetarian meal? What do you make? Isn’t it hard?”

We get that question a lot. I love it. Because if you stand to the side a bit and take a crooked look, you might notice that nature offers food already pre-packaged, pre-sweetened, prepared and pre-loaded with vitamins, minerals, Omega’s, soluble and insoluble fibers, already on-the-go and ready-to-eat!

You really don’t need to do much. Walk over to a tree. Reach up and receive. Sidle up to a bush, or kneel down to the earth and pick, pull, or pluck. Considering the busy human activity to extract, package and deliver various bits of chemistry that are already uniquely organized in plant food, it really seems a miracle that nature already has it all, everything we need, and with such perfection, intelligence, beauty, elegance, and variety!

I think about that whenever I roast vegetables. Because it is so simple. And so good. The sugars in the vegetables slightly caramelize with the oils, so that lightly salted and spiced, tastes almost like soft, chewy, exotic candy.

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Did I mention simple?

All you have to do is:

Wash

Spice

Oil

Toss

Roast

It is so easy. Which is why we always include Roasted Vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner ~ when we need it to be delicious, but above all, we need it to be simple.

It is on the menu again this year ~ along with our new “tradition” of Brioche Chestnut Stuffing with a Vegetarian Gravy, and a big colorful bowl of Cranberry Sauce because when you do not add sugar it balances the meal nicely by cutting into the heavy of everything else, encouraging digestion, and sort of living in your body as little bursts of thankfulness because in so many ways they are just SO good for you.

I am also looking forward to trying my Ayurvedic Blogger friend Shruthi’s  Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Kheer for dessert and A Sweet Spoonful‘s Cranberry Scones for breakfast tomorrow.

Oh yes, there is much to be thankful for!

Autumn’s Bounty: Roasted Root Vegetables

On normal days, when this might be a main course with potatoes, or a grain, I like to crumble fresh rosemary and toss it with the vegetables just out of the oven, so the herb gets a quick blast of heat to open out its bouquet. But with Thanksgiving there will be so many other aromas and flavors, best to keep things simple and spice minimally.

click on recipe to print

As with any of the recips on this Blog, you can make it Vegan by substituting the Ghee with Coconut oil.

This holiday, I wish you abundance, joy, peace, and a heart full of thanksgiving. If I had a magic wand, I would fill every belly with nourishing food and every heart with nourishing love. May it begin with you.

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Thanks to Katariina Fagering for the first three photos of the Roasted Vegetables at last week’s Sophia Conference Lunch!