Roasted Veggies

Sliced and chopped

When OXO announced their SLICE IT UP blogger competition I started here; however, once I started slicing and chopping, I couldn't stop. Do you remember the scene in "The Long Kiss Goodnight" when Geena Davis realizes she has some knife skills in the kitchen? Well, maybe not like that, but this isn't a new problem. Whenever an incredible array of organic produce is at my fingertips, I want to roast it or grill it. Tonight was a roasting night. The best part of this recipe is that two trays will easily work their way into at least two meals. In this case, they served as a side dish to ravioli on the first night and alongside teriyaki chicken over brown rice on the second night.

We love our roasted vegetables in this house. I will add them to pasta, throw them in a tortilla with a little salsa and sour cream, add the to soups or serve them alongside meat. To be honest, I am not a snob when it comes to my roasted veggies. I will eat them hot. I will eat them cold. I will eat them with kosher salt and pepper and fresh rosemary. I will eat them with reduced balsamic. I will eat them plain. If it were up to me, they would be part of every meal.

When slicing and chopping, err on the side of making your pieces too big; however, you want them to be consistent. This is where the mandoline is really handy with the sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini and yellow squash. Small pieces cook to quickly and tend to burn or get mushy. Throw some whole cloves of garlic in and you get a treasure hunt when serving. I usually add 10 cloves or so at the request of my family. I usually chop and slice everything and then break my veggies into two groups: slow roasters and quick roasters.

S  l  o  w roasters:

• Sweet potatoes
• Parsnips
• Turnips
• Carrots
• Cauliflower

Quick roasters:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Asparagus
• Red, yellow and orange peppers
• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash

This time I used sweet potatoes, red onions, asparagus, peppers and broccoli.

 Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 475° and place two large baking sheets inside.

2) Cut the sweet potato and the onion using an OXO mandoline on the 3/4" setting. Slice the peppers into inch wide strips and cut the broccoli into florets.

3) Toss the sweet potato with 1 tbsp of olive oil and slide onto hot baking sheet, making sure they are in one layer. Set timer for 10 minutes.

4) Toss onions, asparagus, peppers and broccoli with 2 tbsp of olive oil. When the timer goes off, add these veggies onto the second sheet and give the sweet potato sheet a good shake. Set the timer for 15 minutes.

5) After 15 minutes, check all of the veggies. There should be a little roasting color, but no burning. If you need a little more time, check every 4 minutes.

6) Remove all veggies from the oven and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.

Ready to eat roasted veggies

Side note: Tonight I added a few dollops of rosemary, garlic and lemon butter I made for our steaks earlier in the week. It was a first and it WILL be repeated. (Add 1/2 c room temperature butter, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp fresh rosemary and 5 cloves of garlic to a mason jar. Use a hand mixer to completely chop and mix the ingredients. Scoop into a square of wax paper and create a roll of butter, making sure it is completely covered. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and then you have a delicious flavored butter. Dollop away and add it to EVERYTHING - including your just grilled steaks.)

Quinoa Bites (Num Nums)

I fell into a snack and lunch slump. This realization hit me hard between the eyes because of the following conversation I had with the Lil Man.
Me: What would you like to have for lunch today?LM: Mac and CheeseMe: I haven't made any and we don't have any Annie's. Any other ideas?LM: A quesadillaMe: Well, we don't have any tortillas. Anything else?LM: Grilled cheese sandwich.Me: Ya, it is time for us to change things up. 
I realized I was stuck in a cheese rut. This wasn't my usual MO, but we were in it and we were in it deep. I looked inside my fridge and one of the veggie compartments was filled with 3 different bags of cheese, plus two bricks. Yikes.
New day. New leaf. I have approximately 6 pounds of quinoa sitting in my pantry and I need to use it. We tried these quinoa bites today and the Lil Man suggested that we call them "Num Nums". Alrighty then. He ate 6 and Lil Miss ate 2. I consider that a success. 
The veggies combinations you can add in are numerous. I used kale, broccoli and carrots. Other options might be peas, squash, spinach, chard, corn, or cauliflower. This is an easy way to use those leftover veggies from dinner the night before. 
I served them up with some apple rings (use an apple corer to take out the core and then slice into thin slices). The kids ate two apples worth and had fun pretending they had apple eyes, apple ears and apple noses. Who knew cutting the fruit a different way would make it a renewed hit?
So here you go...ENJOY!
Quinoa Bites

Adapted from The Curvy Carrot
Makes 24 bites
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups of finely chopped veggies 
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp curry
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325.
Directions:1) Put water and quinoa into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and keep covered for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and remove from heat. 2) Grease a mini muffin pan with olive oil.3) In a bowl, combine all ingredients, except for salt and pepper. Mix well.4) Using a tablespoon, fill mini muffin pan cups. Press contents firmly into the base of the pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top.
5) Bake for 15 minutes. To remove from pan, use a butter knife to slide around the edges if there is any sticking. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or plain!

Butternut Squash, Chicken and Quinoa Stew

Several years ago, on the island of potlucks, a mysterious grain was showing up dish after dish. Kwin-o-ah? That is what I read on a little sign by a mixture of summer veggies and this mystery grain. Later, I discovered that it is called "keen-wah", the super food!

Quinoa originates from the Andes. It was highly revered by the Incas and called chisaya mama or 'mother of all grains'. While it may look like a cereal grain, it is actually more closely related to beets, spinach and tumbleweeds. This grain packs a powerful dietary punch.

Raw quinoa

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. (Source: Wikipedia)


Beware. Since my family loves this grain, many recipes will be coming your way in the coming weeks.

Quinoa squiggles

As I was perusing Pinterest, I found this pin which led me to this recipe on Cookin' Canuck, which is an absolutely wonderful site!! Of course, I like to cook with what I have on hand and I always have to make A LOT to include lunches, etc. So here is my version of Cookin' Canuck's Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa there are more servings and different methodologies of getting to the end product. This recipe is great for cold nights and it is high protein, low fat and low calorie. If you are veggie, it could easily be converted by using vegetable stock and skip the chicken.


One key reminder about cooking with quinoa, remember to rinse it. If you don't, it will be bitter tasting since the plant has saponin which is beneficial pre-harvest to keep birds and other potential diners away from the seed, but not desirable to our palates. A simple rinsing will remove it. Most North American quinoa on the market has already been rinsed, but I don't take any chances. 

Butternut Squash, Chicken and Quinoa Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups organic chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 large, organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 4 cups  butternut squash, fresh or frozen
• 2 cans (14 oz) organic diced tomatoes (Eden Hills or Muir Glen to be BPA free)
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3 oz can  black olives, sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Grated Asiago (optional)

Directions


1) In a large saucepan, pour in 4 cups of stock and place chicken breasts in to poach. Bring to a boil and then cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a plate to cool and put stock aside for later in the recipe. (You can skip this step if you are cooking the veggie version.)


2) In a large Dutch Oven, pour in olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add oregano and stir for a minute. 

3) Add in garlic salt, butternut squash, tomatoes and stock from saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and add quinoa and olives. Gently stir. Cover and reduce heat to low for 15 minutes. 

4) Shred or cube chicken and add to the Dutch Oven along with pepper and parsley. Cook for 10 more minutes. Stir frequently. 


5) Ladle into bowls while hot and top with grated asiago. Enjoy!


*Note: if you are going to warm it up later, add more stock during the warm up. The quinoa will absorb most of the liquid.

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Spinach baby!

The following scenario is all too common these days.

The panic button is hit. What will I make for dinner tonight? Somehow (HA!) the day has escaped me and it is 4:30 and I am just thinking about our dinner. Easy comes to mind first. Pasta? Chicken? What is in the fridge? Do I dare dig into the freezer? Ugh. Microwave defrost. Hate it. Ok, fresh. Look out the window and there is the answer. Spinach. Lots of spinach, but not quite as much as I should have planted.

Last year this crop was VERY plentiful, however, due to my morning/afternoon/evening sickness, I couldn't enjoy it. My three little rows seem like an emerald gift under the cloche. I wish I planted more. It would lead to more quick meals.

This particular night we BBQed some chicken and I plucked several handfuls of spinach from the garden.

A quick rinse and it could be a delicious salad. Today we continue on to the stove top.

A spritz of olive oil and 3 crushed cloves of garlic are thrown into the fry pan. After the garlic started to sizzle, I added all of the spinach in and sautéd it. Done!

The end product shows why I need to plant more. It takes a lot for a side dish.

So when in doubt about what you are going to make for dinner, think fresh first and build the rest of your menu from there. Most of all remember that you can NEVER go wrong with olive oil and garlic.