This is one of those meals where you’ll get a little giddy the next morning when you remember that you have leftovers to eat for lunch. It’s that yummy. I love root vegetables but don’t often feel like bothering with the peeling, chopping, and roasting that’s required. After I knocked over an entire pile of celery root at Whole Foods the other day, I felt obligated to take some of the battered veggies home for transformation. I added parsnips and beets, and the root vegetables became the star of a delicious warm salad, which I served with a roasted pork tenderloin. It was a simple but elegant meal, easy enough to prepare on a work day but lovely enough for a special occasion (and Valentine’s Day is coming!) The veggies were tossed with olive oil and fresh herbs before roasting and became both crispy and tender and nutty and sweet. You could serve them just like this, but I put them over a bed of spinach dressed with a citrus and honey vinaigrette. The pork was simply roasted and glazed with We Olive’s Sweet Balsamic Mustard. Delicious, beautiful, and heart healthy. Enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad
Serves 6
You’ll need:
1 lb celery root, peeled and cut in to 1/2 inch chunks
1 lb beets, peeled and cut in to 1/2 inch chunks (I used golden and red beets for color)
1 lb parsnip, peeled and cut in to 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used We Olive Arbequina)
3 sprigs each fresh rosemary and thyme, chopped
1/4 cup Blood Orange Olive Oil (You can use standard extra virgin olive oil and add fresh orange zest if you like)
2 tablespoons Pomegranate Champagne Vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 small shallot, finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)
10 oz fresh spinach
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees positioning one rack in the upper third of the oven and one rack in the lower third. Toss the chopped parsnips and celery root with olive oil to coat and spread in one layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the veggies with rosemary and thyme and then season with salt and pepper. Repeat this step with the beets on a separate baking sheet.
2. Bake for 15 minutes and then swap the position of the pans – the upper pan to the lower position and the lower pan to the upper position. Bake for 15 more minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the shallot, honey, and vinegar, then whisk in the olive oil until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Toss the spinach with the prepared vinaigrette just to coat and arrange on a platter. Top with roasted vegetables and serve.

Sweet Balsamic Roasted Pork
Serves 6
You’ll Need:
2 pork tenderloins
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 jar We Olive Sweet Balsamic Mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Season pork tenderloins with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add one whole tenderloin, searing on each side until browned. Remove tenderloin from pan and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat this step with second tenderloin.
3. Brush the tenderloins with half the jar of Sweet Balsamic Mustard and roast for about 25 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest for about 5 minutes. Brush the tenderloins with remaining mustard to coat. Cut pork into slices and serve alongside salad.

Note: For timing purposes, I sear the pork and rub it with mustard while the vegetables are roasting so I can get the pork into the oven as soon as the veggies come out. I make the vinaigrette while the pork is roasting. When the pork comes out of the oven to rest, I dress the greens and plate the salad. The entire process will take just over an hour.