The different vegetables used in this tian bring together all the vibrant colors of autumn. The orange of the sweet potato, the yellow of the squash and yellow beets, the reds of the red beets and tomato, and the hint of green of the zucchini. It is truly beautiful, delicious, and healthy.
What is a Tian?
A tian is a french dish that consists of overlapping vegetables baked in typically round earthenware. Once prepared it goes from the oven to the table. Sometimes there is a sauce, or breadcrumbs, or cheese. It can be served as a main dish or a side dish. I kept it simple to highlight the beauty of the individual vegetables in this month’s recipe.
Beet Beautiful
There is nothing better for your liver than beets. An amino acid found in beets helps prevent and reduce the build-up of fat in the liver. Beets can help lower blood pressure with consistent consumption. Full of fiber, they are good for the digestive tract. The vitamin C in beets helps boost the immune system. They are also an anti-inflammatory.
Oodles of Zoodles
Zucchini is one of the most versatile vegetables next to cauliflower. It can be chopped and added to soups and stews or sprialized into the currently popular zucchini noodles or “zoodles”. It has very little flavor so it’s perfect as a base for any sauce. It has a high water content which keeps the calories low and a high fiber content which is great for the digestive system.
The Sweetest of Potatoes
Not a low carb food but insanely delicious the sweet potatoes provide a sweet creaminess to this dish. Sweet potatoes provide fiber for digestion, antioxidants to help protect against cancer, and beta carotene for healthy eyes. Do you want to hear about one of my craziest meals? I used to fill half a sweet potato with sardines and hot sauce. I know you are laughing right now but it really is good and sardines are insanely good for you. Not quite sure it’s worthy of a recipe card though. LOL.
I hope you will try this beautifully delicious dish and tell me how you liked it. Let me know if you substituted other vegetables that made the dish wonderful. Download the recipe HERE.
Enjoy!
Dr. Stacey