Since I got back from Vermont, I’ve been picking my brain about what to do with the pickled garlic I purchased at Grafton Village Cheese Farm (aside from eating it straight out of the jar).  After a weekend of heavy food (including decadent Where The Wild Things Are themed red velvet cake at a first birthday party), I needed something light and refreshing.

I had made roasted root vegetables before, but I had never prepared them raw so I went to the market after work and picked up some fresh root veggies and some brown rice vinegar.   I was excited to find a little root veggie that I had never seen before – baby yellow carrots. Carrots actually grow in a variety of colors including white, purple, yellow and red.  They originated in the Central Asia and the Middle East as a purple vegetable and the first yellow carrots appeared in Afghanistan, and were eventually adapted into the orange carrot we most commonly see today.  You can read more about the history and health benefits, including their many antioxidants and how they help improve eyesight here.

I had some pine nuts left over from my black quinoa dish so I toasted them and tossed them in with the veggies and pickled garlic, and topped with the brown rice vinegar and some grape seed oil . The flavors combined beautifully and made a perfect refreshing winter dish.  This one is super simple too.  Here’s how I made this (feel free to substitute root vegetables available to you)…

1 parsnip
4 small radishes
1 small red beet
1 orange carrot
4 baby yellow carrots
6 cloves pickled garlic (can substitute with pickles or any pickled vegetable)
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 tbsp brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp grape seed oil

Peel all vegetables and discard skin. Slice vegetables into thin pieces and chop pickled garlic and combine in a bowl. In a small pan, toast pine nuts on low-medium heat until slightly browned, tossing occasionally. Add the pine nuts and mix with brown rice vinegar and grape seed oil.