Roasted Vegetables Easy and Delicious

 

Roasting Vegetables

I am a complete vegetable junkie and I like to eat them when they are either roasted in the oven, from the air fryer, sometimes sautéed or grilled. All my vegetable dishes work with either preparation method. Roasting vegetables in the oven is my favorite preparation method, it is easy and does not take a lot of clean up. I find roasted vegetables delicious as a simple side dish, with a sauce or even on a slice of toast, drizzled with spiced olive oil, with or without melted cheese on top. If I use cheese it is usually an organic goat cheese in moderation.

Roasting vegetables takes about 10 minutes of preparation time and 30 to 40 minutes to roast.

Roasting Mixed Vegetables

You can use any blend of vegetables like zucchini, squash, yellow squash, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, eggplants, broccoli, etc. It is good to dice all the vegetables to approximately the same size to ensure even cooking.

Toss the vegetable mix with olive oil, salt and pepper and add to a greased baking dish. Roast in the pre-heated oven at 425℉ for approximately 30 minutes or until done. 

Couscous or Quinoa with Roasted Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry couscous or quinoa, prepared according to package directions
• 1 cup of roasted vegetables
• Juice of one lime
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and add more lemon juice or olive oil to taste.

This recipe tastes good warm as a side for a fish, meat or chicken dinner or cold as a salad.

Variation:

To make this a healthy and wholesome lunch salad, add a can of organic chickpeas (in water and sea salt).

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted cauliflower is a tasty side for any meat, chicken or fish entrée. I prefer it cooked soft with charred edges so it has that rich buttery taste. It is also super delicious if tossed in a rich cheesy sauce. You can use any grated cheese of your liking, but I prefer goat cheese. I use olive oil and oat flour to make the roux as the base for the Béchamel sauce, then add oat milk and organic goat cheese to make it surprisingly healthy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower head
• ¼ – ½ cup olive oil
• Salt, pepper and Za’atar (optional) to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450℉. Remove all leaves and the hard core from the cauliflower and pick it into bite-sized pieces. Rinse well and let dry. Toss with olive oil and spices and add to a large greased baking dish so it fits in one layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until soft.

If you can find a purple cauliflower, it also roasts very well, maintaining its color and is a super healthy and very eye-pleasing dish and tastes delicious with a creamy goat cheese sauce.

Goat Cheese Sauce 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon oat flour
• ½ cup oat milk
• ¼ cup organic goat cheese
• ¼ cup organic chicken bone broth (as needed)
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and whisk in the oat flour until well combined and it turns into a runny paste. Slowly add the oat milk while constantly whisking so there will be no lumps. It will slowly thicken as it is heated. Still whisking, add goat cheese and melt into the sauce. If the sauce gets too thick, at ¼ cup of chicken bone broth. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

To roast brussels sprouts you can use the same method as for the cauliflower, but you might have to add 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the desired texture. I like to cut my brussels sprouts in halves or quarters to shorten the cooking time and also to increase the surface to get more crunchy texture.

Roasted Cabbage

You will need one cabbage head, a few tablespoons of olive oil and seasonings.

This will yield 4 to 5 portions, depending on the size of the cabbage, and take about 5 minutes to prepare and 30-35 minutes to bake.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450℉.  To roast the cabbage, remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and cut out the hard core. Cut cabbage into 1 inch slices starting at the bottom where you cut out the core. Cover a baking sheet with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and arrange the cabbage slices in one layer. Season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 450℉ for 30 to 35 minutes until soft. This is a very tasty side dish for any meal or just by itself with a serving of goat cheese or any other sauce.

Roasted Eggplant Dip – Baba Ganoush

Roasted eggplant is a great side to any meat dish, but my favorite by far is this creamy eggplant puree which makes a great appetizer, snack or even a side for roasted chicken breast or grilled meats.

To roast the eggplant:

For this recipe you will need 1 very large or 2 small to medium eggplants.

It will take about 1 hour to prepare and roast the eggplant and another 15 minutes to prepare the Baba Ganoush.

To roast the eggplant, slice it in half, sprinkle each half with 1 teaspoon of salt and let sit for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. This will draw out a lot of water and eliminate some of the bitterness. Dry with a paper towel, brush with a tablespoon of olive oil, season with black pepper and smoked paprika, put on a baking sheet that is covered with parchment paper, and bake cut side down for  about 35 minutes or until collapsed in itself. Let cool in a drainer over a bowl and discard the drippings.

Ingredients:

• Meat of 1 large or 2 small roasted eggplants, carefully spooned out of the skin
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or crushed
• ¼ cup Tahini
• ½ to ⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of one lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mash the roasted eggplant and break down with a fork. Stir in the tahini and lemon juice, then slowly add the olive oil until the desired consistency is reached. Add seasoning and more lemon juice if you like it more tart. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with mint leaves or cilantro leaves. It tastes great with pita bread or any toasted sourdough or other wholesome bread.

Soups

A great way to use roasted vegetables is in soups. A creamy hearty soup on a cool day for me is pure comfort. To make a super fast and easy soup I use any roasted vegetable, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, mixed vegetables, or whatever you prefer, put them in the blender with bone broth (vegetable broth for a vegetarian/vegan version) and some oat milk to make it creamy. This is also a quick and easy way to use leftover vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of roasted vegetables, cooled down
• 1 cup organic bone broth
• 1 cup oat milk or other milk
• Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste or any other spices you like

You can add 1/4 cup of organic goat cheese for extra taste and an even creamier consistency.

Directions:

Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add salt, pepper and spices. Reheat in a saucepan over medium to high heat and enjoy!

I love this recipe with roasted pumpkin or roasted sweet potato (cut in 1″ cubes and roasted like mixed vegetables). This soup tastes delicious sprinkled with roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Combined with toasted bread, brushed with spiced olive oil it is a satisfying and comforting fall and winter meal.

I hope you will try roasting different vegetables. It works similarly on the grill or if you decide to pan fry them. Another quick and easy method is air frying. Pan or air frying is great for asparagus. The time depends on the thickness of the asparagus, around 10 – 15 minutes.

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