Maple Roasted Root Vegetables

Elliott came home from work one night and asked me if I had even tried parsnips before. I had about 5 years ago when the Elders Quorm of our ward in St. Louis made dinner for all the women for Mother's Day. They had made a savory roasted root veggi dish and it was delicious. Then Ell handed me this recipe he got from work and told me he was going to make it. The parsnips I had were savory and I questioned this recipe because it was sweet. So in true food network fashion we had a cook off. I made a savory version of roasted root veggies and Ell made this recipe. Clearly you can tell who won since you aren't seeing the savory recipe being posted. These were SOOOO good. Even the kids ate them.

Maple Roasted Root Vegetables

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
1 red onion, diced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (or pecans)
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400*.

In a medium bowl, toss the vegetables with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place vegetables on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, pour the maple syrup over the vegetables and mix to coat. Continue baking until vegetables are tender and have started to brown. (Approx 10 mins.)

Add chopped nuts and cranberries. Cook 3 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!