roasted vegetables

Oven-Roasted Parmesan Garlic Broccoli

April 8, 2015 by Asharae 2 Comments

You guys. This recipe is a little treasure. Recently a friend of mine shared that she had tried roasting broccoli in the oven one day and never looked back. I took her advice and tried it myself and even though I loved broccoli before, this takes it to a whole other level.

The little broccoli stalks get nice and tender, and the “leaves” get crispy and delicious. With a little salt and pepper, a couple cloves of garlic, and some olive oil, this simple side dish couldn’t get much easier. Squeeze some lemon and grate a little fresh parmesan over the top and you’re ready to enjoy!

I adapted this recipe from one called “Magic Broccoli” over on Recipe Tin Eats – I just discovered her blog and imagine I’ll be spending lots of time combing through her delicious looking recipes soon! Hop over there to she what she’s cooking up!

Oven-Roasted Parmesan Garlic Broccoli

Adapted from Recipe Tin Eats

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli washed and cut into florets
2 cloves garlic sliced
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Freshly grated parmesan

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Toss broccoli and garlic together on a rimmed baking sheet with 2 Tbs olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 10 minutes, remove from oven and flip broccoli. Roast for 10 more minutes, or until stalks are tender and tops start to get crispy.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and parmesan. Serve immediately.

Roasted Winter Veggies and Israeli Couscous

February 26, 2015 by Asharae Leave a Comment

Today we’re snuggled up in our house, trying to avoid taking part in anything pertaining to the outdoors. Last night we had a big storm come through, but the promised 8-10 inches of snow simply didn’t happen at our house. Our yard is a slushy muddy mess at the moment, and I confess I’m jealous of all our friends posting photos that look like Narnia.

One big snowfall. That’s all I ask of winter in North Carolina. Until then, I’m going to stay holed up in my house, pretending spring is just around the corner. Last week I shared a blood orange strawberry limeade that’s perfect for warding off the winter blues! This week I wanted to share one of my new favorite dinner recipes that’s great for all the same reasons.

Between the Israeli couscous, the vinaigrette, and the fresh veggies, this meal is a light alternative to the hearty, filling dishes I typically think of for winter meals. Since all the veggies I included in this recipe are still in season, they’ll be cheaper at the store and they’ll taste better than veggies that come into season later in the year!

I was inspired by several sources while coming up this recipe. Be sure to check each of these out for even more delicious winter recipe ideas!

Winter Buckwheat + Shaved Brussels Sprouts Bowl by Dolly and Oatmeal // Winter’s Bounty Buddah Bowl by Vegenista’s Kitchen // Winter Pasta Salad by Victoria McGinley

The idea for the vinaigrette also came from a couple places: Shaved Root Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts by Salt & Wind // Basic Vinaigrette by Shauna Niequist in her book Bread & Wine

Roasted Winter Veggies and Israeli Couscous

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Ingredients

Couscous and Veggies

1 1/4 c of israeli couscous I used this couscous from World Market
3 medium carrots washed, peeled, sliced into rounds
1 turnip washed, peeled, diced
8 oz brussels sprouts outer leaves removed, ends trimmed, quartered
2-3 leaves kale finely chopped
Shelled pistachios or sliced almonds for garnish

Vinaigrette

1/4 c white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 c olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Combine all vinaigrette ingredients except olive oil in a small jar with a lid. Cover with lid and shake to combine. Add olive oil, cover again, and shake to combine. Set aside.
Heat a pot of water for the couscous (follow the package instructions - my couscous called for 1 3/4 c water to 1 1/4 c couscous). While the water is heating, chop your veggies. Cook your Israeli couscous according to the package instructions.
Toss sliced carrots and diced turnips on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 1-2 Tbs olive oil, toss to combine, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, flip veggies with a spatula, and roast 5 more minutes.
Toss cleaned, chopped brussels sprouts in 1 Tbs of olive oil. Remove veggies from the oven, add brussels sprouts to the pan, roast for 5 more minutes. Chop the kale while you're waiting. Add kale to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired, and roast the veggies one final time for 5-10 minutes, until kale is slightly crispy.
Combine veggies and cooked Israeli couscous in a large bowl, toss to combine. Serve with vinaigrette on the side so each person can add the amount they like. Garnish with almonds or pistachios if you wish!

This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Roasted Corn Salsa, Two Ways

July 25, 2014 by Asharae 2 Comments

This summer I was determined to find the perfect roasted corn salsa recipe. And, my friends, I thought I’d done it. I photographed this fabulous salsa recipe, was all excited to share it with you, and then a few weeks later – I tried another corn salsa recipe. And it was better. Way better in my opinion. So much better, in fact, that I figured I’d skip photographing it altogether and just share both recipes with you now! You can decide for yourself which one you like better – I determined that I prefer roasted bell peppers in my corn salsa instead of tomatoes. But if you’re a huge fan of tomatoes, you should probably test out both recipes. Just sayin’.

There are two different methods I’ll share for roasting corn, and they’re interchangeable depending on how much time you have, how much effort you’re willing to spend, and whether or not you have a grill. I prefer the slightly smoky flavor the grill gives the corn, but if you’re short on energy and/or a grill, feel free to roast those bad boys in the oven.

Roasted Corn Salsa, With Tomatoes

Adapted from Minimalist Baker

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 3 -4

Ingredients

4 ears of corn shucked and silks removed
Olive oil
1/4 of a red onion finely diced
2 medium tomatoes seeded and diced
1 jalapeño seeded and diced (I leave a few seeds to give the salsa a little heat)
Handful of cilantro finely chopped
Juice of 1-2 limes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Place corn on a rimmed baking sheet that is lined with tin foil (for easier cleanup). Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Broil in the oven 15-20 minutes, or until corn kernels begin to char. Check every few minutes and use a set of tongs to turn the ears of corn as needed. Remove from the oven and let cool. Use a knife to carefully cut the kernels away from the cob. I like to stand each ear up on its end in a large bowl, I hold onto the top of the ear of corn, and use a knife to slice the kernels away - that way my fingers are safe and the kernels fall into the bowl, rather than fly all over the counter.
Combine the rest of the ingredients and let rest for 30 minutes or so in the fridge for the flavors to combine.

Roasted Corn Salsa, With Roasted Bell Peppers

Adapted from Simply Scratch

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Ingredients

4 Ears of corn shucked and silks removed
Olive oil
1/2 orange bell pepper seeds removed
1/2 red bell pepper seeds removed
1/4 cup red onion finely diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1 Tbs pickled or fresh jalapeño diced (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp Kosher salt plus more to taste

Instructions

Brush each ear of corn and bell pepper half with olive oil and heat on the grill, turning occasionally until the kernels are charred to your liking and the bell pepper skins are charred as well. Remove from the grill and let cool. Carefully cut the kernels away from each ear of corn (see note on previous recipe for a helpful way to do that).
Use your fingers to peel the charred skin off each bell pepper (it doesn't have to be perfect - I leave some blackened bits for color). Dice the roasted bell peppers and combine with the rest of the ingredients.
Let the salsa rest in the fridge for 30 min or so for the flavors to get happy.

Spicy Cauliflower Chickpea Quinoa Bowl

May 29, 2014 by Asharae 2 Comments

Remember that yummy cilantro lime dressing I shared last week? Well, here’s another use for it!

This combination of spicy cauliflower and chickpeas with crunchy bell peppers, red onions, and jalapeños is a fabulously colorful and delicious meal that’s perfect for a meatless dinner night! This recipe (like all of my favorites) is adaptable to suit your preferences and tastes – please take it and make it your own!

The original idea for this dish stemmed from a delicious veggie taco recipe over on Two Peas and Their Pod – you may have seen their photos floating around Pinterest. Just look at those pictures and tell me you don’t want to try those tacos! I made them for Tim and my brother – and although they both enjoyed them, I distinctly remember my brother telling me that meat was a necessary ingredient in tacos. Guess you can’t please everyone! Anyway, I loved the veggie tacos so much that I decided to use the idea of roasting the veggies but exchange tortillas for quinoa instead. The addition of the cilantro lime dressing cools this dish down a bit and adds some more fun color.

Enjoy!!

Spicy Cauliflower Chickpea Quinoa Bowl

Heavily adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 c uncooked quinoa
1 head cauliflower rinsed, chopped into medium sized pieces, and patted dry
1 15 oz can chickpeas drained, rinsed, and patted dry
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp kosher salt
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs water
Bell pepper red onion, jalapeño (I used the kind from a jar for the vinegary taste), cilantro, etc to taste. I like to add the colorful fresh vegetables to give this dish some crunch and to make it pretty! Add as many as you like or have on hand!
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro lime dressing find that recipe here!

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F
Place cauliflower and chickpeas in a large bowl.
Combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, juice of one lime, olive oil, and water. Pour over cauliflower and chickpeas and stir gently to combine.
Place veggies on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400 for 30-45 minutes, flipping every 15 minutes.
While roasting veggies, cook quinoa according to package directions, and then set aside.
Combine roasted vegetables with quinoa in a large bowl. Add as many colorful vegetables as you like and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cilantro lime dressing drizzled over the top.