I love Austin. I'm not gonna lie, it took me a loooong time to be able to say that. Austin and I weren't exactly 'friends' in the beginning. I mean, the roads are crazy confusing, everyone's a hippie, and the cocktails are expensive. Not to mention, I was really missing my family. Although I still miss my family (it's just not right that twins should live on opposite sides of the country) Austin has become my home. I love my friends here, I love the hiking, I love the weather, I love having our sweet puppy Midna, and I LOVE the food. I've never been so excited about food. People here are so creative with their meals. This is totally my scene. These fresh veggies are from one (of many) Farmers Market here. Since I knew Fleet wouldn't be super into a vegetarian dinner, I made him some pulled pork with Stubbs bbq sauce. He was happy, I was happy, win win win. (PS- this is one of my favorite recipes I've ever made! Recipe adapted from sproutedkitchen.com)

Recipe:

1 lb. Small Carrots
1 lb. Small Beets
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
Equal amounts: Sea Salt, Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Cumin, and Ground Fennel. Add whatever amount of red pepper flakes you feel is appropriate :)

1 Bunch Fresh Spinach Leaves
1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
2 tsp. Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Light Whipping Cream or Whole Milk
1/3 Cup Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese (I used a goat/cheddar cheese mix and it was perfect. thank you Trader Joes!)
Salt and Pepper to taste

For Garnish:

Pine Nuts, Cheese, and Cilantro

Scrub the beets and carrots. Preheat over to 425' and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or your silpat. (You don't have a silpat? What's wrong with you?) Mix all the spices together. Toss veggies in balsamic & olive oil, then coat with the spice mix. Roast veggies for 30-45 min. (You want to be able to pierce a butter knife through the largest veggie on the tray)

Now, make your spinach sauce. Steam the spinach for a minute to cook it down. (I also steamed a beet that I forgot about, and it was quite tasty!) Squeeze out the water from the spinach using a cheese cloth. You should have about a cup worth.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and minced garlic. Cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the butter and cook until it melts. Add the cooked spinach and cream. Cook until the spinach absorbs most of the cream. Stir in cheese, salt & pepper. Transfer mixture to your food processor. If you have an immersion blender, you can just use that to puree the mixture. Its ok to have some chunks in it!

At this point, I transferred the spinach sauce to the serving dish and used my pan to toast some pine nuts. When your veggies are ready, allow to cool slightly and drizzle some more balsamic on top. Add the spinach sauce, veggies, and garnish and serve warm.

Roasted Root Veggies w/ Spinach Sauce