Roasted Root Veggies

It's always difficult to decide what to bring to family potluck holiday dinners. This year was especially tough for me because I knew the dish that I brought could possibly be the only dish that I could eat - so I knew I needed to be selective in the process. When I was asked to bring a type of vegetable, it was not too difficult for me to know that I was going to roast some good winter vegetables. I love roasted veggies! There is something about a vegetable once it's roasted, it takes on an entirely new flavor and aroma. I love them! If it wasn't for roasting veggies, I probably would not have tried brussel sprouts and now they are one of my favorites. I digress. This was a recipe I found by Chef Owen May with Michelle May MD from Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle.

Roasted Root Vegetables
Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes

     3 medium baking potatoes, peels left on, cut into ½" cubes
     2 medium sweet potatoes, peels left on, cut into ½" cubes
     2 yellow onions cut in eighths
     ½ pound of baby carrots
     2 tablespoons olive oil
     1 tablespoon dried parsley
     1½ teaspoons kosher salt
     ½ teaspoon black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 450F degrees.

Wash and cut up baking potatoes and place into a large plastic bag.

Trim any tough pieces off the sweet potatoes, cut up and add to the bag.

Place baby carrots in the bag.

Cut off each end of the onion then peel. Cut the onion in half then cut each half into quarters to make eight pieces. Place into the bag.

Add olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper to the vegetables in the bag. Seal the bag and shake until all of the vegetables are coated.

Dump vegetables into a large shallow baking dish (a cookie sheet works well) and spread vegetables evenly over the bottom.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until vegetables are golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Serves 6.

Recipe Review:
Root Veggies were perfect for the main holiday meal at my relatives house to go along with ham and many other appetizing dishes. Since we feed an army when we gather for the holidays, I quadrupled the recipe and roasted them on two shallow cookie pans. I pre-warmed my slow-cooker and once the veggies were finished roasting in the oven, I added them to the slow-cooker for the commute, and plugged it in as soon as we arrived. I was nervous that they might get mushy, but they kept their shape and retained great flavor. I was asked by a few relatives how I made them, so without further adieu, I will not keep you waiting!

Notes: You may substitute other seasonal vegetables such as winter squash or pumpkin. When using less dense vegetables, add them 10 minutes after the potatoes to prevent over cooking. You may also try different herbs or spices such as rosemary or paprika for new flavors - but the parsley was perfect for our Holiday meal.

Veggie Trays

Veggie Trays are my go-to whenever someone asks me to bring something to a gathering. Why, you might ask? I've been to enough gatherings where there are no veggies to be seen. Or, they are the side-kick that gets left off the table because people are more excited about the sugar, carbs and treats! I've been the girl who only wanted the sugar, carbs and treats, and I have learned that I don't want to be the provider of the treats - I want the good stuff. The photos below are my veggie trays that I made for our a few of our Family Christmas' of the 2009 Holiday season. Cutting the veggies only takes about a half hour - and I made each of them all for under $20. It feels good to go to a gathering where you're known as the one who provides the 'healthy stuff' for the holidays!

A Day of Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all! We planned on spending the day at my parents this year. The days are getting closer to the anniversary of my grandma's death - and I am really feeling the need to be near my mom and family. Plus - with the holiday navigation of food preparation, the days leading up to the day my mom called me a few times to see how she could make things so that I could still eat them. She's lovely! She put me in charge of the green beans this year. I decided to make 2 different kinds. Why? I didn't want to hear anyone complain that I didn't make the old-time classic green bean casserole and I simply wanted some veggies myself. I made everyone's favorite and made a different kind for the health conscious peeps in the fam too. Here's a brief (very brief - I don't even have photos of the turkey and potatoes) rundown of the spread:

Green Bean Almondine
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter
zest of one lemon
2-4 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Bring pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat sauté pan over medium heat and toast almonds until just turning golden, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and reduce heat to low. Melt butter in pan, then add shallot and cook, stirring once or twice, until shallots are golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add a pinch of salt to boiling water and blanch green beans for 4 minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water and add to pan with shallots. Add almonds and lemon zest and toss gently. Top with blue cheese and serve. If you make this ahead of time, reheat in oven just before serving, then top with blue cheese immediately upon removing from oven. Or set the blue cheese on the side for people who can not have cheese or don't perfer the flavors of blue cheese.  

8 servings.

Recipe Review:
The Green Bean Almondine was grand! Super easy and a great side dish for the turkey and taters I was allowed to eat. The savory lemon flavor was a nice change of pace for me because I haven't done with veggies besides roasting them. The blue cheese gave off a great final touch, but could be omitted and the recipe would still be delicious. It was a great day to give Thanks!

This photo is a reminder for Mama B to remember to send me this wild rice recipe. She said it was easy to make in the slow cooker. It made her kitchen smell delicious all morning and most importantly, all the ingredients are ones I can have!

This was another dish that graced the table at Thanksgiving. My Aunt made this dish and said it was easy as well. I didn't try it because I didn't know who made it or what was in it, but the Mister gave it rave reviews and said I should make it at home. 

Lastly, I didn't touch this one - or any deserts. My Uncle said they picked this pie up from Costco. It probably weighed about 10 pounds! I'll have to get confirmation, but I think he said each piece was about 500 calories and I'm not kidding. Maybe we should all give thanks for our health before digging into a piece of this!

Risotto Cakes

I still can't believe I made Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Risotto the other night. I also can't believe it turned out ok! Usually I'm the crazy girl that makes up a million excuses why it didn't work out whenever I try something for the first time. But, this worked! It's now time to conquer the leftovers and the perfect thing to make would be risotto cakes. The bigger question is, will I be 2 for 2 with risotto in the kitchen after this recipe? 

 Risotto Cakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

     3 cups leftover risotto from Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Risotto
        recipe
     2 large eggs
     1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
     1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
     1/4 cup grated Parmesan
     Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
     1/4 cup canola oil

In a large bowl add the leftover risotto, eggs, corn, bread crumbs, and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix to combine well. Form into 12 balls about the size of a walnut, then flatten into patties and arrange on a baking sheet.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until they are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the patties from the oil to a baking sheet lined with a brown bag or paper towels to drain the excess oil. Transfer to a serving tray and serve hot.

12 Servings.

Recipe Review:
Woo-hoo! I am officially 2 for 2 with Risotto. After my first bite was one of those, 'Oh, this is the reason people cook!' I used EVOO instead of canola oil to fry them up. They had delicious flavor - the Mister thinks next time I should substitute green or red pepper instead of the corn, but I loved the corn. I'm sure I'll surprise him and make 1/2 with peppers & 1/2 with corn next time since he's so willing to try all my cooking adventures and be honest about them. This was another one of those little, easy recipes really are the reason why one spends time in the kitchen! :)