Part of my late fall routine is to clean out my freezer.  Anything that’s been collecting frostbite for a season, or that I cannot at all identify, has to go.  And that is how I unearthed the box of… Read the rest of this post

Part of my late fall routine is to clean out my freezer.  Anything that’s been collecting frostbite for a season, or that I cannot at all identify, has to go.  And that is how I unearthed the box of frozen artichoke hearts.

I cannot remember what I bought them for…maybe it was a whim?  But I was determined to use them.  And so out came the parchment paper, and my newly bought celtic sea salt.

There is nothing to this recipe, really.  But the result is these perfect buds of roasted crispness.  I dipped some in hummus, others in a nice mayonnaise.  They would make a perfect appetizer with cocktails, or chopped after roasting and added to a pasta.

Roasted Artichoke Hearts
Prep – 10 minutes.  Total – 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
3 tablespoons olive oil
coarse salt to taste

How To:
Preheat oven to 400F.  Rinse and pat dry the artichoke hearts and place in a large bowl.  Add the oil and salt to the bowl, and toss to coat.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread the artichokes in an even layer on the pan.  Roast until brown and crispy, tossing occasionally, for 45-60 minutes.

I’m  not much a fan of the cold, but there is one thing I do love about when the days get shorter and the temperatures drop – roasting.  Especially roasted vegetables.  Everything tastes better with that crackly brown crust… Read the rest of this post

I’m  not much a fan of the cold, but there is one thing I do love about when the days get shorter and the temperatures drop – roasting.  Especially roasted vegetables.  Everything tastes better with that crackly brown crust that time in an oven at 400 degrees gives.

And then there are roasted potatoes.  These are my favorites – I’ll often make a meal with just these, and some wilted greens, and maybe an egg.  The tiny fingerlings aren’t as easily available anymore, but any small potato, sliced in halves or quarters, makes for a fine bite sized crunchy bite.  Rosemary is a classic for roasting, as long as it’s chopped quite fine to avoid any tough bits.  And by roasting the garlic on the tray with the potatoes, you save time, space, and add the flavor of the garlic to the air around the potatoes, imbuing them deeply with that rich, slightly sweet flavor.

Read on for the recipe

Roasted Garlic Potatoes
Prep – 10 minutes, Total – 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pounds fingerling or small red potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt (like kosher salt)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped very fine
1 bulb garlic

Equipment:
baking sheet, parchment paper

How To:
Preheat the oven to 400F.  Wash the potatoes and split them into halves or quarters.  Pour the olive oil in a large bowl, and add the potatoes.  Toss until well coated.  Add the salt and rosemary and toss to coat.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread the potatoes in an even layer.

Remove the outermost paper from the garlic, but keep the bulb intact.  Slice off the pointed top so all the cloves show.  Wrap the garlic in tinfoil and set it on the baking sheet with the potatoes.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are crisp and browned, tossing occasionally.  Remove the garlic and set aside until cool enough to handle. Squeeze the pulp out of the cloves and into a bowl, and mash the garlic up with a spoon.  Add the cooked potatoes and stir them around to coat them with the garlic.  Enjoy!

(Inspired by a recipe from A Veggie Venture)

I enjoy going to the farmers market on Saturdays – the ritual of packing my shopping bag, browsing all the stalls to see who has the best zucchini this week, or peaches.  But sometimes, I get a bit overzealous,… Read the rest of this post

I enjoy going to the farmers market on Saturdays – the ritual of packing my shopping bag, browsing all the stalls to see who has the best zucchini this week, or peaches.  But sometimes, I get a bit overzealous, and end up with vegetables still sitting in the fridge most of the week later.  I can safe the slightly softening ones by roasting them until crisp. And what’s a better counterpoint to the warm, buttery flavor of a roasted vegetable than nutty quinoa?

This is a great side, or add some cubed firm tofu to fill out a summer meal.

Oh, and if you have extra quinoa?  Make them into patties.

Read on for the recipe…

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

2 cups water or broth
1 cup red quinoa
5 cloves garlic
3 small summer squash
3 japanese eggplant
(or whatever combination of vegetables you might have)
olive oil
salt
pepper
dried thyme
juice of one lemon

1. Bring the water or broth to a boil. Add some salt and the quinoa, stir, cover, and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400F. Chop the garlic finely. Slice the squash and eggplant lengthwise into long quarters. Then slice into 1 inch chunks.  Toss the garlic and vegetables with the olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the vegetables in an even layer.  Roast until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

3. When the quinoa is done, toss it with the vegetables.  Squeeze some lemon juice over it all, and enjoy!