Root Vegetables with Scallops

Perfectly seared scallop.

#heavenonaplate

I love eating heathy. I know... shocker. Why? Because not only do I feel better, but I am so incredibly thankful to be able to create food that is aesthetically beautiful, complex in nature... yet simply executed.

As a chef, it can be easy to fall into the temptation of "trying to do too much." Too many ingredients, too many sauces, purees, decorations, etc.

Root vegetables are often overlooked. Many individuals are not familiar with rutabaga, parsnips, butternut squash... why? It's easy to overlook an item that is not typically "exciting" to consume. I had a butternut squash that needed to be used... so I decided to prepare it in three manners: soup, puree and roasted.

First peel the butternut squash... I will often use gloves when peeling, as the inside skin can be sticky/slimy. After peeled, cut into two (this can be tricky, so be careful - can be hard to cut through with your knife). After split in two, discard the seeds by using a spoon to remove from the flesh. I then carefully cut the squash into thin rectangle shapes. I also had rutabaga and parsnips... peel and cut into small pieces. You can cut the squash in whatever shapes that you so choose... I just simply wanted the rectangle in terms of presentation. Toss the pieces in olive oil, smoked sea salt, dried oregano, lemon juice, cajun seasoning and herbs de provence. Wrap in aluminum foil, then allow to roast for 30 minutes (until tender). At this point, the roasted rectangles are ready to be consumed...

Remove a few of the butternut squash rectangles, then use the remaining roasted shapes for your soup/puree. I paired caramelized onions with my roasted butternut squash, parsnips and rutabaga... simply combined all of the roasted vegetables/onions and added into the VitaMix... and hit blend. Now, I added a few roasted cashews in order to give it a nutty bite, and allowed the VitaMix to blend to a chunky puree. At this stage, I removed about 1 cup of the puree... then continued to blend until smooth. In order to thin the consistency, I added chicken stock.

Simple, healthy... nothing fancy to that!

Combined the puree with roasted carrots and perfectly seared scallops... I also dusted the plate with ground chia seeds.

"Eat well, laugh often, love much."

Love y'all dearly!