Roasted Parsnip & Beet Salad

Welcome everybody to the April edition of the Crazy Ingredient Challenge! If you are a first time visitor to the Crazy Ingredient Challenge, you are in for some fun creativity! The challenge is to create a recipe with two truly unique ingredients that are not traditionally cooked together. I just love this challenge! Spearheaded by the lovely Dawn at Spatula’s On Parade, this is one group of talented chef’s who come up with these recipes each month. Want to know what April’s challenge is? Parsnips and Cardamom. Say what?

I was immediately stumped. I’d never cooked a parsnip. I never even tasted one. Didn’t even know what they looked like. And Cardamom? Never worked with that seasoning either. To give you folks an idea of this craziness, a parsnip is defined as a long tapering cream-colored root with a sweet flavor. It’s supposed to be similar or related to a carrot. I read that it can be eaten cooked or raw and It is high in vitamins and minerals, especially potassium. I was intrigued.

Roasted Parsnip & Beet Salad with a Citrus Dressing that is amazing

But what is Cardamom? Cardamom is a spice native to the Middle East, North Africa, and Scandinavia and there are three types; green cardamom, black cardamom and Madagascar cardamom. has a sweet taste with an enticing aroma. I read that is is wonderful with Indian and Middle Eastern spice blends. When I gave it a good whiff, I immediately thought curry and other Indian dishes.

But that’s not what I did. I had a drawer full of different veggies, like one beet, two carrots and a half of a red onion. I decided to make a veggie salad using those and parsnips and season it with the Cardamom.

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Roasted Parsnip & Beet Salad

Print recipe

Ingredients

2 Medium parsnips (peeled & diced)
1 Large beet (peeled & diced)
1/2 Large red onion (cut into 1/2 pieces)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
juice of two lemons (divided)
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (divided)
1/4 cup garlic infused olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice ((I used Roses Lime Juice))
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 - 1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 Medium carrots (shredded)
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 375. Place the beets, parsnips and onion in a rectangular baking dish.
Step 2
In a small bowl, mix the garlic, half the lemon juice, salt & pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom and garlic olive oil. Pour over the parsnip mix and stir to coat. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes, stirring at the 20 minute mark.
Step 3
Mix the lime juice, the remaining lemon, ginger, garlic powder, the remaining cardamom and syrup in a small bowl. Chill in the fridge while the beets & parsnips are cooking.
Step 4
When the parsnips & beets are done, place in a bowl and chill for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove from fridge and pour the lemon/lime dressing on them and stir. Top with shredded carrots, craisins and almonds.

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I liked using the citrus flavors with the Cardamom since I think they married well together. Hubby is not a huge lemon fan so he was so so on this dish. I really liked the colorful presentation and the light delicate flavors of the dish.

The parsnips roasted similar to a potato and I think they have a similar consistency. The texture went well with the beets too. This dish is excellent for spring cook outs and I think would transport well to a potluck. I’m now pretty excited to see what else I can do with these two crazy ingredients.

To see past challenges and the creative recipes our chefs have come up with, click on over to my Crazy Ingredient Challenge Pinboard and look around. These ladies are amazing!!!

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Comments

Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm says
April 20, 2015 at 7:20 am

Love salads made from roasted veggies. YUM
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm recently posted…Spiced Parsnip Cupcakes for Crazy Ingredient Challenge

Camilla @ Culinary Adventures says
April 20, 2015 at 7:25 am

I love that you went savory for this challenge! Your salad looks delicious.
Camilla @ Culinary Adventures recently posted…Spiced Parsnip Cake with Cardamom-Cashew Butter for #CrazyIngredientChallenge #sponsor

Dawn ~ Spatulas On Parade says
April 20, 2015 at 8:20 am

I love pickled beets and enjoy them roasted, parsnips are great with mashed potatoes. Beautiful salad.
Dawn ~ Spatulas On Parade recently posted…Parsnips and Cardamom CIC April 2015

Jenna says
April 21, 2015 at 6:12 am

I am ashamed to say I’ve never had parsnips, beets or cardamon and wouldn’t have a clue was to do with them! This dish sounds wonderful, I’m pinning to try and expand my culinary knowledge!
Jenna recently posted…Take-out Tuesday, Savory Swiss Chard Strata

Audrey says
April 23, 2015 at 12:01 pm

Curry might have been a good choice, but I love roasted root vegetables and this looks fabulous.
Audrey recently posted…New York Style Crumb Cake

Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook says
April 24, 2015 at 3:59 pm

Prior to this event I’d only ever had parsnips roasted. And I’ve only ever had beets roasted. Your salad is a great solution to the challenge!
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook recently posted…Sweet and Sour Chicken

Alison Moore Smith says
April 27, 2015 at 4:57 pm

That looks fabulous. I actually have the exact same bag of parsnips in my spare fridge. I’ll especially like this salad this summer when the garden starts producing more than we know what to do with. 🙂
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Lifestyle Hacks: Increased Productivity With Personalized Routines