I love mashed potatoes but let’s face it, they’re not the best for you. What is the closest substitute? What can taste as close as the real thing?

Let me tell you this. There are endless possibilities to replace your mashed potatoes with a healthier option and its just as good and might taste even yummier for some people.

With so many options, where would you start? Um. All the root vegetables? Which one? Agh… Still too many.

I didn’t look too far because when I do my shopping it lasts me a while. All I had to do was open up the vegetable drawer and voila! Parsnips and carrots; perfect. My dish was going to look like this; a layer of parsnip purée, topped with carrot purée, then some sautéed spinach, and lastly some deliciously tender grilled chicken. It’s all about the colorful, well presented plate that actually delivers delicious flavors that combine beautifully.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of parsnips peeled and cut into big chunks
• 1 bag of carrots peeled and cut into big chunks
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• A handful of baby spinach leaves
• 2 chicken strips
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:

• Put your carrots in one pan and your parsnips in another and cover both with about an inch or two of water ( just enough to cover them).
• Place your pans on heat and let boil for about 10 to 15 min.
• Once both the carrots and parsnips are soft enough to run a knife through, take the water out.
• Add a tablespoon of butter to each one and blend each with a hand blender, making sure to clean the blender when you move on to the other.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and take off the heat.
• Season your chicken with salt and pepper.
• Put some olive oil in a pan and once it is hot, grill your chicken.
• Whilst you are grilling your chicken sauté your spinach in a splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Once your chicken and spinach are done, put a layer of parsnip purée on a plate, then layer on top some of your carrot purée, top them off with your spinach, and lastly your chicken.
• Make sure you can see each layer for presentation! 🙂

Bon appétit!