Root Vegetable Jumble

So I admit it, I watched a couple episodes of The Next Food Network Star.  The delightful Aarti won- of the new show Aarti’s Party.  I’ve only watched a couple eps of her show, but this is one of the recipes I saw. When you’re trying to eat a lot of vegetables– sometimes salad gets a little boring.  Roasting vegs  is a great way to jazz them up and mix up the flavor.   I went a little root vegetable happy in the co-op and added parsnips, rutabagas and turnips to this recipe.  I’d definitely add the parsnips- what a delicious yet underrated food.  The roasted lemons add a huge burst of flavor. Since I added so many extra vegs- I should have  added a bit more oil- there is more than enough spice.  As to Aarti’s suggestion, I served mine over soft polenta.  I never used to be so into polenta- but i am really into grits which, as it turns out, are the same thing in a slightly different form.  The polenta I made for this took about 5 minutes– is tasty and filling.  A great alternative to putting everything over couscous.

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large fennel bulb, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 large lemon, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Minced fresh cilantro or parsley, to garnish [i always skip this]

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ground cumin, ground coriander, and olive oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous grinding of black pepper.
Put all the all veg and lemons in a baking dish.  Pour the spiced oil over the vegetables and toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top and bake until the vegetables are caramelized and soft, another 15 minutes.