Root vegetable recipes that are good and good for you

If it is still chilly where you live and if you're family needs some warm comfort food after a long day, why not make a big bowl of root vegetables for dinner?

OK, OK, so the kids might not go for seconds of a heaping casserole of turnips. But you can certainly create a spiced up, delicious and healthy meal out of root vegetables for your winter menu.

Root vegetables - otherwise known as carrots, turnips, beets, radishes, parsnips, rutabagas and (our favorite) sweet potatoes - are dense, inexpensive and full of nutrients.

This article offers a quick primer on each of the seven root vegetables, tips for roasting root veggies to perfection and recipes that will satisfy your hunger and your taste buds.

If you haven't made a stew yet this season, now's the time to slow cook your way to veggie-beefy goodness (although I'd personally add a half-cup of red wine to this recipe). And if your kids still aren't down with an onslaught of root vegetables for dinner, maybe some sweet potato fries will change their minds.