Roasted Veggies

This week I have tried three new recipes and all of them have been good. I am telling you Mark Bittman is where it is at. Not only are his recipes very good but they are versatile and are very healthy portions. My favorite thing so far this week was the homemade tomato sauce I made last night. I threw some chicken in for good measure and it was awesome and super duper easy. I will post that soon but today I wanted to post the roasted vegetable recipe from earlier in the week. I had more vegetables in my house this week than I have ever had in one place in my entire life. I bought apples, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, parsley, potatoes, parsnips, onion, rutabaga, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, celery, green beans and porcini mushrooms. I mean the apples, bananas, green beans, onion and garlic are standard items I buy every week but I had never even looked at a rutabaga or parsnips before. It was a little experiment that went well. This recipe calls for certain vegetables but you can certainly add in a few favorites if they are not listed or just alter it to whatever you have on hand. Just keep an eye on it b/c the cooking times might vary depending on how soft or sturdy the veggies you choose are. I added zucchini just b/c I had it left over from the vegetable soup I made the day before. Otherwise I was faithful to this list. This recipe can also be made with or without fish or meat. I opted for chicken tenders but if you are not meat inclined just leave it out.

You will need:

1/2 pound waxy potatoes
½ pound of carrots
½ pound celery root, turnips or rutabaga
½ pound parsnips or beets
1 medium onion chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary or sage (optional)
½ to 1 pound fish fillets, chicken breast or tender, boneless pork chops, or lamb ribs, divided in four portions (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel, clean and trim the vegetables as necessary and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Mix them together in a large roasting pan or baking dish along with the olive oil; sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

2. Roast the vegetables for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are just becoming tender. Add the garlic and herb if you are using it and toss to combine.

3. If you are adding fish, chicken or meat, lay it directly on top of the vegetables, brushing with some of the oil from the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and return to the oven for another 8 to 15 minutes, depending on what your cooking, basting once or twice with the pan juices. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the lemon juice if you like and serve.

This makes about 4 servings. Ryan and I were able to eat it for two nights and it was plenty.

Bulgur Pilaf with Vermicelli, and Meat or Cauliflower

I have strayed with the blog as of late. Instead of trying a new vegetable every week I have gone down the path of making everything from scratch and trying brand new recipes. But that does not mean that I have abandoned the idea. When our Farmer’s Market opens in May I will begin again with the original goal of the blog, along with the crazy recipes. What I really need to work on is updating the blog in a more timely manner. I can somehow find time to cook for three hours on Sundays but not time to update. Makes no sense. But on to the recipes.

I made two new dishes last weekend. One of them I have shared below but the other needs severe work before it can see the light of day. This one was Black Bean soup and the other was the Bulgur Pilaf. Neither one of these recipes turned out spectacular but they both have serious potential. I don’t think I have ever made something that looked as unappetizing and smelled as bad as the soup. It does taste alright but I need to try a few things with it before posting about it. The bulgur dish was pretty good and was actually better the second day with one addition. And yes, this is from Food Matters. Best book ever.

What you will need:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
½ to ¼ pound of ground lamb, chicken, beef or turkey; or 1 small head of cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 pound of any type of mushroom
2 medium onions or 1 large onion chopped
½ cup vermicelli, preferably whole wheat, broken into 2 inch or shorter lengths.

If you can not find whole wheat vermicelli feel free to use any type of whole wheat pasta you have including penne, ziti or shells. However, if you use these types of pasta be sure to put them in a plastic bag and smash the crap out of them. I only partially broke up the penne I used and that was a big mistake. The way that these cook requires that they be smaller pieces. Or at least not in a round shape.

1 cup coarse or medium grind bulgur
2 ¼ cups vegetable stock or water heated to a boiling point (which I just realized I did not do. I just added my cold vegetable stock. Whoops)


1. Put the oil in a large skillet or saucepan that can later be covered and turn the heat to medium. Add the meat or cauliflower, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally to break it up, until browned all over, about 10 minutes.

Remove the meat or cauliflower from the pan leaving about a tablespoon of the fat/oil.

Instead of ground chicken I bought chicken tenderloins and cut them up and cooked as described above.


2. Put the pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and mushrooms; cook, stirring until everything is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the bulgur and vermicelli, stirring until coated with butter or oil. Return the meat or cauliflower to the pan and add all remaining ingredients. Turn the heat to low and cover for 10 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for another 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!


Makes 4 large servings

I would also suggest missing in cooked Kidney or Black Beans once it is done. I wish I had done it the first night we tried it but it is good without. Probably even better when your noodles cook correctly!