Kitchen Technique: Roasting

One of the reasons people often give me for not cooking and eating more vegetables is that they don't know how to prepare them - or that they take a long time.  I'm a busy girl these days and need meals to be simple, but always delicious.  Roasting is my go-to preparation for dinner many nights of the week.  As simple as scrub or scrape, chop, toss and into the oven.  Here's an example from this week...

Roasted Winter Veggies
3 medium carrots, scraped and chopped
3 parsnips, scraped and chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
2-4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 tsp thyme
3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  While the oven heats, prep the vegetables.  Toss everything together in a bowl and then onto a lined or sprayed sheet pan.  Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes (until nicely caramelized and cooked through), tossing about every 15-20 minutes for even roasting.

A few tips:

1. Chop everything about the same size to ensure even cooking - but no need to get fancy.
2. Add additional spices, herbs and/or vary the veg to make an endless combination of roasted deliciousness.  Some of my favorite combos include sweet potato wedges tossed with olive oil, cinnamon and red pepper; yellow squash, zucchini, and onion tossed with olive oil, thyme and pepper; apples and potatoes tossed with a little olive oil, cinnamon and maple syrup; cauliflower tossed with a bit of olive oil, curry powder, salt and pepper; and colorful bell peppers and onions tossed with olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper.
3. Start this dish first.  Then, while the vegetables roast you can prep and cook everything else for dinner or just spend a little more time playing with your baby, dog, or internet.  

Leftover roasted vegetables are so versatile too.  They are fantastic added to scrambled eggs, folded into a tortilla for a vegetarian lunch, or even cold right out of the fridge.  What? Just me?  In addition to the fact that they are super easy and yummy, roasting instead of boiling helps retain nutrients since there's no water for the vitamins to leach out in.  So...what are you going to roast next?  Be adventurous.  Be healthy!

More Snow?!

So here we are in Atlanta anticipating more snow.  Seriously?  I'm a native and I can't remember ever having back to back snowstorms.  And yes, 2" of snow is a snowstorm in Atlanta. 

Like most people around here, I hit the grocery store today.  There were a ridiculous number of people there in the middle of the day on a Monday.  There was still plenty of bread, milk and staples when I was there at 11, but I heard (via Facebook, which is the most reliable place for news, of course) that the markets were cleared out before the evening.  I didn't buy bread because I always have plenty of ingredients to make fresh homemade bread if I need it...as long as we have power. 

Here's what I bought:

• 1/2 gallon of organic whole milk
• extra firm tofu
• bunch of organic beets
• bananas
• organic parsley
• beet juice
• organic broccoli
• whole wheat hamburger buns

I keep a very well stocked pantry and fridge.  I just wanted a few delicious items to round out what I have on hand. What am I going to make?  Burger buns are for black bean burgers (I <3 Morningstar Farms spicy black bean).  Tofu and broccoli will become stir fry.  Beets are for roasting to top salads and for pureeing for the baby.  Bananas for PB & banana sandwiches, banana bread, and mashed for baby.  Milk and beet juice for drinking.  Not together.  I'll share some recipes this week.

Did you hit the market?  What was in your cart?  Stay warm.  Be healthy!