Roasted Roots with Tahini Jasmine Green Tea Sauce and Dukkah

Roasted root veggies, a creamy tahini sauce, and a dash of Dukkah, makes for a perfect fall meal and is also a great way to use up whatever root veggies you may have on hand. I used delicata squash rounds, red onion, yellow pepper, potatoes, beets, carrots and grape tomatoes, however; pretty much anything goes! Yams would be delicious here as well. Dukkah is an Egyptian condiment comprised of a mixture of roasted nuts, seeds, and spices. It is traditionally made with hazelnuts however, I used pistachios and black sesame seeds to brighten it up a little! Serve over a bed of steamed quinoa or rice.

 

 

The Sauce:

• 1/2 cup of raw or toasted tahini
• 1 clove garlic
• 111/2 tsp. pink himalayan salt
• 1 Tbsp. of honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup of strongly brewed jasmine green tea
• 1/4 cup of olive or avocado oil

Blend everything until smooth in a high speed blender. Adjust seasonings and set aside while you prepare the veggies.

 

 

The roasted veggies:

Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main dish.

preheat oven to 400 F.

• 1 delicata squash (or acorn) cut into rings, seeds removed
• 4 small beets, peeled and cubed
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 3 potatoes, cubed
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped into large chunks
• a hand full of grape tomatoes
• avocado oil for roasting
• 1/4 tamari

 

 

 

On a large cookie sheet, drizzle a generous amount of oil. Arrange the veggies on the cookie sheet and drizzle with a little bit more oil and the 1/4 cup of tamari. Bake for 40 min. turning the veggies a few times as they bake to brown evenly and to prevent them from sticking. While the veggies bake, prepare the dukkah.

 

Dukkah:

• 1 cup of pistachios, shelled and unsalted, roasted
• 1/3 cup of black sesame seeds (or regular if you can’t find black)
• 3 Tbsp. of whole coriander seed
• 3 Tbsp. of whole cumin seed
• 1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper or a pinch or two of red chili flakes
• 1 tsp. pink himalayan salt

To roast the pistachios, bake at 350 F. for about 6 min. until lightly browned. Set aside.  Toast the cumin and coriander seeds over medium heat in a small fry pan until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside.

 

 

Toast the black sesame seeds over medium heat in a small fry pan until they begin to pop.

 

 

 

Remove from the heat and combine all of the ingredients in a food processor until well combined but not completely ground into a powder. Leave some texture. Allow to cool and then store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

 

 

 

To serve:

Spoon roasted veggies over steamed quinoa or rice. Top with tahini sauce and a generous amount of dukkah!