{Recipe Redux} A Method for Roasted Vegetables

In yesterday’s blog post, McKenzie mentioned that my birthday was last week.  She kindly and discretely left out that it was my 40^th birthday. 

I have to admit, I was sort of dreading my birthday.  For a woman, your 4^th decade is filled with changes I wasn’t ready to face.  But somehow I woke up last Saturday filled with gratitude and a sense of peace with growing older.  I have so much to be thankful for. 

I am extraordinarily lucky to have entered a second career that I love, one that fuels my interests and passions and feels important.  I am blessed to have McKenzie as my partner in Nourish, and as my dear friend and sister.  Kind to every inch of her being and genuinely caring about others, she is one of the people I admire most in this world.  I have a loving family and a community of friends who inspire me.  I am healthy.  I love my home.  And most importantly, I have the most amazing husband who inspires me every day to be the best version of me.  He is the most joyful person I have ever known, and I am so grateful for his love in my life.

So, forty isn’t so bad.

One of the great benefits of growing older is being able to relax and let go of perfection.  I think cooking is better that way, too.  I like learning a method better than having a recipe.  A method lets me bring in my own creativity, my own likes, and make a meal my own. 

So that’s what this is: a method.

Learning how to make deliciously roasted vegetables is a cooking basic.  For the Recipe Redux this month, we were challenged with the concept of cook once, eat twice.  How can you take the ingredients from one meal and stretch them to another?  If you have roasted vegetables in your refrigerator, you’re always just a few minutes away from a meal.  The vegetables should be of your choosing:  broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus, potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash.  Use your imagination.  I love roasting citrus slices as well. 

To make delicious roasted vegetables, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Cut all of the vegetables about the same size and place them in a bowl.  Toss them with olive oil to coat them.  Season them as you choose.  I like sea salt, red pepper flakes and lemon zest.  Sometime oregano or smoked paprika.  Sometimes za’atar or fresh thyme.  Place the vegetables in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 – 25 minutes or until they are caramelized and golden.  The biggest mistake people make when roasting vegetables is to remove them from the oven too soon.  Let them get color, because color is flavor.  Once they are done, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet. 

Now, you have so many options.

As McKenzie said in her last post, I love pasta.  For pasta with roasted vegetables, heat a little olive oil in a skillet and sauté a sliced shallot until golden and translucent.  Toss in some red pepper flakes and maybe a few halved grape tomatoes.  Add a splash of wine and simmer for a minute or two.  Add your roasted vegetables and a big handful of fresh spinach.  Then add hot cooked pasta (preferably whole wheat) and a ladle of the pasta water, about ½ cup.  Toss in some grated parmesan cheese and some lemon zest and toss the pasta together.

I also love frittatas, and they are one of my go-to weeknight meals.  Whisk together a few eggs (two per person) and add a pinch of salt and a big handful of roasted vegetables.  Add herbs if you like, or maybe some fresh spinach or arugula.  Place a small skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil.  Pour in the eggs and then place some cheese on top—maybe some goat cheese or feta, or some shredded sharp cheddar.  Place the skillet in a 375 degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until it is puffed and golden and the cheese has melted.  Remove from the oven and let the frittata cool slightly before slicing.

There are so many other things you can do with roasted vegetables:  make a grain salad, eat as a snack, top with a drizzle of olive oil and a big dollop of yogurt for a beautiful side dish.  You can eat them for breakfast, topped with an egg.  Make a roasted vegetable pizza or an open-faced sandwich.  The ideas are endless.

I hope you take this method and make it your own, relax in your own kitchen and embrace the things you are thankful for.

xoxo 

    

An InLinkz Link-up

Pasta Carbonara with Spinach and Peas

After spending a few days in Austin last fall, Lisa and I discovered a ridiculous and hilarious way to pass the time before catching our flights back to Seattle (for Lisa) and Los Angeles (for me). It was the combination of being delirious, hungry, tired, and really excited about discovering kombucha in the airport that led us to a game of personifying ourselves as foods. To be honest, I can’t even remember what foods we decided suited us best, but it did involve a pretty hysterical process of elimination.

I do know, though, that whenever I eat pasta, I think of Lisa; it’s one of her favorite foods. It was her birthday last Saturday and although I wasn’t with her to celebrate, she’s was in my thoughts all day.

I thought of this meal since we made it together during her first visit to my Californian home. 

I was never really a pasta person until I started adding different veggies to the mix. This pasta carbonara is comforting, but also incorporate the brightness of some of my favorite springtime veggies. Since today is the first day of spring, this recipe is a nice one to transition into the new season. 

To keep the birthday celebration going and to celebrate the welcome of spring, you can whip up this recipe in no more than thirty minutes.

We hope you enjoy it, preferably in the company of someone who makes you laugh!

Pasta Carbonara with Spinach and Peas

This pasta dish can be made in an easy 30 minutes (or less) for a simple, yet elegant dinner at home. You can toss in extra veggies if you like and even add some grilled chicken or shrimp.

Ingredients:

½ pound whole wheat pasta noodles, such as spaghetti

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup frozen peas

3 heaping cups fresh spinach

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1.     Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package.

2.     Beat the egg yolks and add 1/2 cup of the starchy water you’re using to cook the pasta. 

3.     Meanwhile, in a large skillet or pot, sauté the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and peas over medium heat for about 2 minutes.

4.     When the pasta is finished cooking, add the pasta to the skillet or pot. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and toss quickly to coat the pasta (without cooking the eggs!)

5.     Remove the pasta from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and fresh spinach until the spinach wilts. 

6.   Portion out into individual bowls and season with black pepper and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Poached Eggs with Raspberry "Hollandaise" Sauce

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

Whether or not you celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s always a good idea to celebrate love.  Love of family and friends--those who are always in your corner cheering you on, love of our pets who unconditionally love us back, love of ourselves.  The world needs more love.

Since food and celebration go hand-in-hand, we’ve created a beautiful, nourishing breakfast to get you in the mood to celebrate love.  When you wake up tomorrow morning, open the window shades wide, pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on your favorite music, and make this, either for yourself or someone you love.

Tomorrow, we hope you celebrate love and enjoy this Poached Eggs with Raspberry Hollandaise.

Poached Eggs with Raspberry Hollandaise

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

4 eggs
12 asparagus spears
1/4 avocado - sliced

Sauce:

1 egg yolk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon of pureed frozen raspberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions:

1.      Over a double boiler of simmering water, whisk the egg yolk, yogurt, raspberry sauce until thick. Season with salt and pepper.

2.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a baking pan, drizzle asparagus with olive oil and roast for about 8 minutes, until tender, but still crisp.

3.      Poach both eggs for 2 minutes until whites are cooked and yolks are slightly runny.

4.      Divide the roasted asparagus on 2 plates along with sliced avocado. Top each with poached egg. Spoon over warm raspberry hollandaise. Top with additional raspberry puree if desired. 

Disclaimer: While we are consulting dietitians for the National Processed Raspberry Council, we are  sharing this recipe on our blog simply because we love it.

Cheesy Crustless Mini Quiches

I received free samples of Cabot Cheese mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe challenge sponsored by Cabot Creamery and am eligible to win prizes. I was not additionally compensated for my time.

I take my Academy Award watching very seriously.

And being such a devote viewer usually involves a little bit of homework. I watch the nominated movies ahead of time, my friends and I cast our votes among one another (it's a pretty fierce competition),  and then I plop myself firmly on the sofa so I can watch from the beginning of the red carpet until the closing credits.

The Academy Awards are my SuperBowl. The dresses, the speeches, the shameless jokes – I love it all.

It’s funny to think that growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, something as Hollywood as the Oscars seemed to be from an entirely different world. Now, I live 30 minutes away from the infamous Kodak Theatre; ten years later, that thought still is somewhat surreal.

But, even though my location is a variable (Edmonton vs. Los Angeles), the process of how I watch the Oscars hasn’t changed one bit (sofa + sweatpants + good food). It’s so comforting to know that no matter how much life may change, some things remain constant.

Wherever you are on the night of the Academy Awards, I hope you enjoy a bite of an extra cheesy crustless quiche. I’ll be eating them, too. 

These quiches can make any occasion feel special. I chalk it up to the Cabot Cheese; I used Cabot Alpine Cheddar Cheese for this recipe, which has a nutty, smooth, melt-in-your mouth taste. I love Cabot not only because their products taste truly amazing, but also because 100 % of their profits go directly to the 1200 family-owned farms that work together in the Cabot Creamy Cooperative to make such irresistible cheese. That warms my heart; just like the Academy Awards "Best Actor" and "Best Actress" speeches.

Cheesy Crustless Mini Quiches

Makes 10-12 crustless quiches

Simple to make, these healthy, mini quiches are fun to serve (and eat!) at your Game Day celebration, movie night, or Oscar party. 

Ingredients:

5 eggs

3 egg whites

1 cup reduced-fat milk 

6 ounces Cabot Alpine Cheddar Cheese, grated 

2 cups spinach, chopped

6 basil leaves, chopped

pinch of salt & black pepper

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray or grease your muffin tin; set aside.

2.     In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together.

3.     Add in chopped spinach, basil leaves, cheese, salt and pepper; fold in ingredients to combine.

4.     Distribute mixture evenly among muffin cups (~1/2 cup portion each).

5.     Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

6.     Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes on a rack.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

An InLinkz Link-up