Natural Nourishment’s Rainbow Roots with Hemp Pesto
This root vegetable dish with hemp pesto was dreamed up by nutritionist Phoebe Liebling. Serve standalone as a light meal or add some extra oomph with a poached egg on top. Works just as well with normal carrots but doesn’t look anywhere near as fancy.
Cooked using
- For pesto
- 1 large bunch parsley
- 3 broccoli florets (approx 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup hemp seed oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup hemp seed hearts
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (or grated parmesan if not dairy-free)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- For vegetables
- 5-6 large heritage carrots
- 200g fine beans
- 150g sugar snap peas
- 5-6 kumquats
- 400g tin chickpeas in water
- 1 tbsp Good Hemp seeds
- 1 tbsp hemp seed oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano or mixed herbs
Method
Preheat your oven to 200C, line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Wash the carrots, pat them dry then slice down their length. Arrange on the tray, drizzle over the hemp seed oil, toss together to coat then season with salt, pepper and the dried herbs. Pop into the oven to roast for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile drain and rinse the chickpeas, leaving them to one side.
To make the pesto add the parsley and broccoli to the bowl of a food processor, you can also add the garlic cloves whole at this point but I tend to chop them roughly to avoid larger bits accidentally getting left behind. Pulse until well chopped.
Add the remaining ingredients bar the hemp oil, blending until you have a relatively uniform paste. Scrape down the sides then drizzle in the oil with the motor running. Give it a mix and add 1-2 tablespoons water to loosen if it’s too thick, blend for a final time, test the seasoning adjusting if necessary then leave to one side.
Turn your carrots then pop back in to roast for another 15 minutes, adding the chickpeas to the tray for the final 6-7 minutes so they colour lightly and puff up.
Wash the green beans and sugar snaps, then pop the green beans in a steamer/metal sieve over a pan of boiling water to steam for 4 minutes.
Slice the sugar snaps along the diagonal and halve the kumquats.
Once everything is ready arrange your carrots, beans and sugar snaps on plates, tip the roasted chickpeas into your pesto and toss together before tumbling over your plates and topping with the kumquat pieces. Enjoy!