Roots: Mashed Carrots and Parsnips

Ahh, root vegetables, how I love thee...
It was an evening similar to many when I often find myself working late and can not really put much of an effort into cooking. I was hungry and craving a burger or some other kind of fattening brain food. I decided to order a fancy burger for delivery from one of the many steakhouses in the Boston area. After waiting 45min., Foodler called and informed me that they were not able to reach the restaurant! This has never happened to me before. My stomach was in an uproar! I decided to call a restaurant across the street and order a pasta dish. A friendly voice answered the phone and when I said that I was calling to place an order for take-out, she put me on hold. I hung on for what seemed like an eternity and finally hung up in frustration. I decided to take another look in my fridge and what did I find?! Carrots and parsnips, oh my! Parsnips are one of my all time favorite vegetables! I just had some dental work done, so I could not eat anything hard or chewy. What to do...ha, I will boil them and mash them up silly! 

                                                              Look how pretty!




Ingredients
1lb. of carrots 
2 Parsnips
2Tbls butter
Spices: cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg to taste


Directions
Peel and cut carrots and parsnips into thirds. Drop them into a pot and fill with water until just covered. Add some salt and boil until you can cut thru the roots easily with a butter knife. Next, drain the water and add the roots back into the pot. Add 2Tbls of butter, pepper, some cinnamon (maybe 1/4Tsp.), a sprinkle of nutmeg and a little cardamom. Mash them up! Note: You will start to notice that I put cardamom in almost everything. I love the spice! Remind me to write a post about my finnish coffee bread recipe passed down from my Finnish relatives... 
I sprinkled a little parsley on top once the mashed roots were in a bowl. I usually am not a fan of using parsley or garnishing a dish, but this time it somehow made sense. I think the parsley compliments the root veggies.
** For an extra treat, peel, core and chop up some apple. Place in the microwave for a min. or two on high and add to the mashed roots. You may have to drain a little water from the apples prior to adding them. 


This would make a great side dish for anything really or just eat as a meal like I did! 


The moral of this recipe is that you might be able to utilize the ingredients you have in your fridge before spending money on some take-out that might make you feel awful and you just might come up with a simple, healthy & delicious recipe like this one! Enjoy your roots! :)