Baked Squash and Root Vegetables

December in Maine and I am still eating what our garden produced this summer. Some root vegetables are stored in the root cellar and some are still in the garden tucked under earth, leaves and snow. 
Root vegetables have a lot of earth quality and in ayurveda earth is "building" and nourishing which is what we need when it is cold.  This is a good satisfying lunch or dinner. It is easy to prepare and can cook in 30 minutes if the vegetables are cubed small. The baked vegetables can be eaten on a bed of arugala or/and grain of your choice. A tahini sauce poured over is a yummy addition.

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For root vegetables use a combination of 2-3 beets, 1 turnips, 3-4 potatoes or/and 3-5carrots and one butter nut or delicata squash. 
2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
2-3 leeks
​Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
Slice up the leeks and chop all the vegetables into 1/2 inches cubes. Put the ghee or oil in the bottom of a dutch oven pot and sautée some mustard seeds and caraway seeds on a low flame. Take the pot off the fire, add leeks and vegetatles and bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove from oven carefully, add salt and pepper and turn over the vegetables. Replace in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until all vegetables are cooked. All done!
Serve with a tahini sauce if desired. 
Tahini sauce: 1/2 cup tahini with 2 tbsp of olive oil and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Mix well. If you want a thinner or lighter sauce add a little bit of water as you whisk, until you get the consistency desired.
This recipe is great for the vata dosha and pitta. For kapha people eat in moderation and add spices like pepper flakes or  garam masala. 
This recipe is versatile so play with it and experiment.