Growing up, my grandma had a vegetable garden that was filled with radishes. I remember going into her garden, picking one radish at a time, and then eating them by the handful. I LOVED it. The crunchy texture and slightly bitter taste of a freshly picked radish is still fresh in my memory. Unfortunately, my grandma no longer lives in that house with the radish garden. But, that hasn’t stopped me from loving radishes. I eat them far too often… not that that’s a problem 🙂
Roasted vegetables are one of my favorite things. With that being said, I am always looking to create new recipes with vegetables that aren’t so common. Everyone knows the traditional roasted carrots or asparagus. I did something different with throwing my ever so favorite, radish, into the mix.
There’s something that happens when you roast a radish that changes its flavor profile completely. The peppery bitterness goes away and the roasting process produces a subtle sweetness. The texture becomes soft, while still keeping a slight crunch in the center. It’s amazing.
Although the radish has no problem going solo, I decided to pair it with the oh so beautiful fennel. Fennel is underutilized in the cooking world. It’s a bit intimidating when you don’t know how or what to do with it. It’s quite simple though. Normally, only the bulb of the fennel is used. In this recipe, I wanted to utilize the fronds as well. Fennel pairs perfectly with radish because it’s very sweet when roasted. The two together are a match made in heaven.
Are you ready for the recipe now? It’s super simple!
- 1 bunch radishes (approx. 8), washed and cut into quarters
- 1 bulb fennel, cored and chopped
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground oregano
- ¼ tsp ground thyme
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ tsp fennel fronds, chopped
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except lemon juice and fennel fronds. Make sure vegetables are evenly coated with the oil and vinegar. Pour vegetables onto baking sheet and bake for approximately 17-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, squeeze lemon juice over the veggies, and sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds. Mix together and serve warm.
- Balsamic Roasted Radish & Fennel has become one of my favorite side dishes. Bonus: it's vegan and full of flavor. Enjoy!
With joy and health,
Fennel fronds, not prawns! ( a prawn is a shrimp, a frond is a compound fern-like leaf)
LOL so funny! I guess two and a half years ago when I wrote this post I was confused. I clearly know the difference, but laughing at myself now looking back on it. Thanks for pointing it out!