WAIT!!! DON’T STOP READING JUST BECAUSE IT’S A PICTURE OF BRUSSEL SPROUTS!! I know you’re disappointed that this isn’t another post about pies or baked goods but seriously, a girl can only eat so many carbs before the neighbors start asking, ‘Who’s that woman with the Professor?’ And not in a good way . . .
The real truth of the matter is that we eat vegetarian most of the time because (a) it’s better for our health, (b) it’s better for our grocery budget, (c) it’s better for our planet and (d) did I mention it’s better for our health? Besides – we love veggies!
Roasting veg brings out the natural sugars resulting in a deep caramelization which translates into a sweeter and more concentrated flavor – to quote Chef Ann Burrell, ‘Brown food tastes good!’ Carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, green beans, broccoli, fennel, red peppers, asparagus – almost any veg can be transformed into a plate of delicious goodness.
And what I consider to be a great time saver, any leftover veg can be added to soups, stews or salads or added to egg dishes such as frittatas or quiche – just delish! And it’s easy-peasy – a no-recipe, type of recipe.
By the way, roasting regular potatoes requires a tiny tweak in the technique so I’ll save that for another post.
Give it a go and let me know how you like them!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to hit that plate of cookies, I mean the treadmill . . .
Here’s a recipe of sorts:
Your vegetable or a mix of vegetables of choice, cleaned and dry
Extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Salt & Pepper
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare veg and spread on a sheet pan; add enough olive oil to just coat (you don’t want the veg swimming in oil). Add red pepper flakes if you like; salt and pepper. Toss everything together with your hands and redistribute evenly on the sheet pan; into the oven and start checking at 20-25 minutes – they should be fork tender without being mushy.
What’s your favorite vegetable?
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I had looked at the asparagus but couldn’t find any that was decent but I’m salivating just thinking about some grilled on the BGE (green egg) – oh my!
We did end up roasting up some potatoes and carrots the other day, but, even better, we found some nice-looking early asparagus at the grocery store and roasted that too! Put a little parmesan and balsamic on the asparagus after you roast it and it’s like spring is almost here!
Great ideas, Andrea! And yes, I have tossed an entire head of garlic cloves onto the roasting pan – makes my mouth water! Olive tapenade – what can I say besides, ‘yummmm’!
I like your leftover veggie ideas.
Years and years ago in Indianapolis there was a restaurant called the Black eyed Pea. Went there with Brenda and Mom and had some of the most rock-your-world veggies ever, and because they steamed a lot of their dishes, they were the most colorful veggies I’ve ever seen. Mom declared they used sugar in their steamers. I dunno.
Loved your point about the sweetness/carmelization in roasted veggies. Ayla saw the photos on your blog and yelled, “That looks wonderful”.
Roast garlic with this meal! You can spread mushy garlic on grilled bread. Make yourself a really thick black olive tampenade and spread that stuff on fresh grilled bread too. With your roasted vegetables you’ll get that soul satisfaction without any guilt pangs. Always lovely in winter, season of rich food.
mmmm
Ok Cindy ~ that made my day! Who Dat indeed!
mmmm…B-Sprouts…love them and any roasted veggie! I’ll have to try the red pepper flakes-thanks for the tip!
(ps-as long as the neighbors aren’t saying “Who Dat” you’re OK)
I say go for it! Almost any veg can be roasted into a delicious plate of goodness – adding just a pinch or two of crushed red pepper gives them another dimension without being overpowering. Happy eating!
These look wonderful. I love roast vegetables! Maybe I’ll have to make some today in order to fill up some time on my second snow day in a row!