Easy Roasted Fall Harvest Vegetables with Lemon Tahini Sauce

By Nancy Eisman
Here’s a great side dish recipe, especially for the plant-based guests at your Thanksgiving table. Colorful, seasonal vegetables and herbs are roasted to perfection and then tossed with sweet-tart dried cranberries and spicy Hatch pecans. To gild the lily, a zesty lemon and tahini sauce is drizzled over the top, resulting in a sure-to-please-everyone holiday-worthy dish.

Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, Okinawa sweet potatoes, assorted pearl onions, fresh herbs, pecans and dried cranberries represent Fall’s vibrant green, orange, magenta, red and brown hues. As always, use my ingredients list as a guide, but feel free to use your personal seasonal favorites. For example, replace the dried cranberries with pomegranate arils and swap the butternut squash for no-need-to-peel delicata.

Also, note that the tahini and pecans already provide protein, but adding garbanzo beans to the roasting mixture is another protein-rich option.

Whether you make it my way or make it your own, and proudly serve it on Thanksgiving or any other night calling for something warm, delicious and filling, this dish will be a dinnertime delight.

Easy Roasted Fall Harvest Vegetables with Lemon Tahini Sauce
Ingredients

For the Lemon Tahini Sauce
½ cup tahini
½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons water + more if necessary
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ teaspoon salt

For the Roasted Vegetable Mixture
½ package assorted pearl onions (about 2 ½ cups), peeled & halved
1 package organic Brussels sprouts, quartered
1 organic butternut squash, peeled/cleaned/cubed
2-3 Okinawa sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
1/3 cup fresh thyme leaves + 2-3 sprigs for garnish
¼ cup fresh sage leaves, diced
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Salt & pepper for seasoning
¾ cup organic dried cranberries
¾ cup Hatch pecans, rough chopped

Preparation
To make the sauce, whisk the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, garlic and salt together. If the sauce is too tart add a drizzle of maple syrup and/or extra virgin oil. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pearl onions, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and Okinawa sweet potatoes on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the herbs and salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and caramelized, about 25-30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and stir in the dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Transfer to a serving platter. Whisk the lemon tahini sauce again and then drizzle over the roasted vegetables. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.