For a simple yet extremely tasty meal, all you need are a few vegetables and a flavoursome complimentary sauce. Packed with nutrients this veggie bake is one the whole family can enjoy. I adore parsley sauce, which traditionally accompanies fish but is equally perfect over any kind of vegetables. Then I thought to add cumin too, as that's my choice spice for a simple creamy hummous, and so I knew the flavour would work wonderfully in a white sauce. Very straightforward, this recipe is proof you don't need many ingredients to create something absolutely scrumptious! Trust me, the photo does not do it justice!!!
You will see further down that I use the broccoli stem as well as the florets - many people don't realise the stem is just as nutritious as the florets and so valuable food is wasted if it's discarded. But on the other hand I see more and more people these days are using the stems to create veggie 'noodles' with a spiraliser, which is a great use of them. You can also chop them up to use in soups, stews, mash, etc, or just dice and cook to eat along with the florets as a side veg to any meal.
What you will need:
1 pint milk
50g butter
100g fine wholewheat flour
2 tblsp parsley
1 tblsp cumin
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
300g (about 1/4) swede
1 small sweet potato
1 large red onion
6 cloves garlic
2 leeks
1 small broccoli (about 200g)
150g cheese
Method:
Combine milk, butter and flour in a saucepan. Heat on low-moderate, whisking continuously until the sauce thickens.
Add the parsley, cumin, pepper and nutmeg and stir in well. Set aside.
Peel and dice the swede, sweet potato, onion and garlic. Cut off the broccoli florets and then dice the stem.
Slice the leeks and wash thoroughly.
Steam the swede, sweet potato and broccoli - if using a tier steamer like this one, put the broccoli on top and remove after 10 minutes. Steam the swede and sweet potato for 15 minutes. All the veg should be softened but still retain some firmness, otherwise they will become mushy when baked.
In a casserole dish combine the leeks, onion and garlic, with a teaspoon of coconut oil. Pop into the oven whilst it is preheating at 200 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes until softened. This saves sauteing on the hob.
Add the swede, sweet potato and broccoli to the casserole dish.
Pour over the sauce and stir using a wooden spoon - but do this gently to avoid breaking the veg into small pieces.
Sprinkle the cheese and some more parsley on top, then bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until piping hot and crispy on top.
Serve and enjoy!
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Many thanks.
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All photos in this post are my own original.
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