Monday, July 11, 2011

Roast your Veggies!

Roasting vegetables is one of my favorite cooking methods - it's a great way to bring out the flavors and an easy technique when you don't feel like doing anything particularly fancy but want a delicious veggie dish.  I also find that I often roast vegetables when I am cooking a casserole or another dish in the oven - I figure, as long as I have the oven heated up, I may as well pop something else in to cook as well (this is also often when I cook pita bread or other bread).

These are two simple roasted vegetable "recipes" (really more of a technique) that I have been wanting to share, so I thought I would combine them into one post.

Kale Chips/Roasted Kale
Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Roasted Kale

I basically followed the recipe at the link above so I won't retype it here, but I did substitute olive oil spray for the regular olive oil as suggested in the comments.  I also baked them on one of my silpat mats because I didn't have any parchment and it worked fine (I am sure you could also just bake them on the cookie sheet, too).  I think I baked/roasted them for about 8-10 minutes but I don't really remember.  These seemed more like a vegetable side dish to me than a finger food or a chip, per se, but they certainly were yummy so I definitely would recommend making them!

IMG_0631

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Recipe adapted from Veganomicon

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

  • Brussels sprouts, cleaned, trimmed, and cut in half
  • Olive oil to coat
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Interestingly, this is basically the same recipe as the kale.  It really is the perfect way to bring out the delicious taste of the brussels sprouts without anything else to distract from them.  I just bought another bag of brussels sprouts so I plan on making these again soon!

Cut Brussels Sprouts

To make these, preheat the oven to 400 F.  Toss the cut brussels sprouts with the oil, salt and pepper in a baking dish, than arrange them facing down on the baking dish.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until they start to brown at the edges.  Serve warm.

Coated Brussels Sprouts

What are your favorite types of roasted vegetables?

6 comments:

  1. I have never liked cauliflower until I tried it roasted it's sooooo good. I roast it in a similar way as you do brussels sprouts then toss with a little lemon juice when it's done. We roast so many veggies though it's my favorite way to cook them.

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  2. Oh yeah, I feel exactly the same way about cauliflower - love it roasted too!

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  3. I was SERIOUSLY just thinking about making kale chips (which I have never done before), because we're getting a ton of kale out of the garden now. I was thinking about how I needed to find a good recipe... and low and behold, I open up my reader and find this! I love this sort of coincidence. Also, after reading the comments, I want to try some cauliflower, too!
    And, since I can't get enough veggies, I love roasting beets (one of my all time favorites), and in the fall I roast a bunch of chopped up varieties of squash mixed with herbs, cranberries, and pecans. It tastes like heaven!

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  4. I love roasted vegetables (such intense flavor!), too. I think Asparagus is my favorite but we do everything from snow peas and cherry tomatoes to onions and sweet peppers and broccoli. This time of year I usually skip the oven though, and go straight for the grill. I use a grill pan -- it's a dark metal with holes. A friend of mine just uses a disposable foil pan. Either works and the results are so delicious and healthy.

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  5. I can vouch for the yumminess of kale chips. Even my "anti-kale" husband gobbles these up when I make them.

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  6. Oooh those kale "chips" look amazing. Do you think the recipe would work with other leafy greens? For summer roasting here, I like to make what I think of as "roasted ratatouille". I slice up tomatoes, red/yellow/green peppers, an aubergine, a few courgettes, a lot of garlic cloves and some onions. I toss them all with olive oil, coarse sea salt and chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil). I then spread them out in my biggest oven dish and pop them in the oven at about 375F/180C and just leave them. After about an hour or so, I stir them and add some balsamic vinegar. Then I leave them for another hour or so. At the end they are all melty and carmelized. YUM. Perfect with couscous or if you are meat eater, as a side dish.

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