Herb-Roasted Onions

I am a firm believer that you can toss any vegetable into the oven, and it will be amazing.

Broccoli? Yes!
Cauliflower? Yes!
Brussels Sprouts? Yes!
Onions? You better believe it!

I know I've talked about my love for CSA programs on Twitter - have I mentioned it on here? Well, my husband and I recently joined a CSA program, and we are up to our eyeballs in vegetables. And I am loving every second of it.

Last week, we had an abundance of onions. I already had two soup recipes picked out that included the addition of onion, so I was looking for a completely different way to eat them.

Enter Ina Garten's Herb-Roasted Onions. I cannot put into words how savory the mustard and garlic tastes after heating up in the oven. It's not an overwhelming sauce for the onions - just a nice little coating for a pop of flavor. 

Along with the onions, I also roasted some cauliflower and carrots. For those, I just coated them with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper - bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Herb-Roasted Onions
Source: Ina Garten

Ingredients:

3 onions (red or yellow)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 tablespoon minced thyme leaves - you can also use dried thyme

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves - again, you can use dried parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.



Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onion. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onion in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a bowl.


For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.


With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Yield: 3-4 servings

Nut Butter Carrot Fries

I used to always buy the bags of baby carrots. Until I realized one day that it is much cheaper to buy regular carrots. You know, the carrots that look like they were literally just pulled from the ground. You know, the kind that you would imagine rabbits eating. Yes, those.

So we've been buying those carrots recently, and I find peeling them rather fun. I know, I have an odd obsession/liking toward kitchen gadgets. 

The problem: we're up to our eyeballs in carrots. We can only eat so many atop salads and dipped in hummus.

So when I heard that you could slice carrots, lather them in nut butter and bake in the oven to turn into fries, I was rather intrigued. 

My curiosity always gets the best of me when it comes to food, so I had to try these out. And now, I'm rather addicted!

Nut Butter Carrot Fries
Source: Oh She Glows and Meals & Miles


Ingredients:
3 medium carrots - sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons nut butter (I just used all-natural peanut butter)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the nut butter, oil and salt. Add sliced carrots and toss to coat. 


Place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes - you can flip them halfway through to prevent burning.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I'm sorry to have teased you with the picture of the sprouts and not the recipe. What was I thinking?! Well, now you have it and can enjoy it! 

My husband loves brussels sprouts. To be quite honest, I never had them until I had dinner with his family while dating and his mother made them. I cannot even begin to explain how nervous I was when I plopped some on my plate. I mean, what if I hated them?! I couldn't offend his mother! No worries, foodies...I loved them!

This is a great way to prepare sprouts - although I'm a little biased. I think every vegetable can, and should, be roasted in the oven. Such good flavor.

Oh, and I used a new gadget during this recipe. Review to come soon!


Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss sprouts with oil and minced garlic. Once well-coated, place sprouts on a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. 

Make sure sprouts are cut-side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and golden on edges.
 
Yield: 2 servings

Yellow Squash & Tomatoes

I love summer and the great fresh produce that comes along with it. The abundance of fruit and vegetables just excites me, as well as the pretty and vibrant colors. This makes for fun and creative recipes!

Speaking of vegetables, a vegetable must always be represented in all Ice Cream & Wine dinners, per the request of my husband. But he's gotten me hooked, as now I don't see a meal as complete unless there's a vegetable side dish. And we're talking legit vegetable side dishes...not ones doused in cream/butter/etc. 

I'm a big fan of cooked tomatoes, so when I saw this recipe featured on Katie's Cucina, I was immediately inspired.

Yellow Squash & Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small yellow squash, 1/4-inch sliced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. When heated, add yellow squash and cook for 8 minutes. 

Add in tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for additional 4 minutes until all vegetables are heated through. 

Yield: 4 servings

Eggplant Curry

I'm finally back with a recipe!

I know a lot of people are weary to use their crock pot during the summer months. Doesn't the crock pot just scream winter?! I think so too! However, this recipe is too good - you can't wait 6 months to try it. It's a great Indian dish - and vegetarian to boot! If you're a meat lover, I promise you won't even miss it in this dish.

I served this yummy curry dish over brown basmati rice and it was perfect. Leftovers? Even better! This is a great, tasty, CHEAP meal - one you're sure to love! Enjoy!

Source: Fitnessista - Eggplant Curry

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, cubed

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup vegetable broth

1 bay leaf - I omitted this

1 tablespoon curry

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Directions:

Spray your crock pot with nonstick spray. Toss in all of the ingredients - stir well. Set on low for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!

Lemon-Scented Sugar Snap Peas

 

For some reason or another, whenever peas roll into our weekly menu I always grab the bag of fresh snow peas at the grocery store. Well, I got crazy this past week and bought sugar snap peas - whoa! I was looking for a way to prepare these peas that would compliment this wonderful tilapia recipe and stumbled upon this one. It caught my eye because of the lemon, and I was going to be using a fresh lemon with the fish, so it just worked out perfectly. I like it when that happens! Just like all of the other recipes I post, this is a simple one to follow. I like it best when vegetables are served with minimal preparation - they just taste so fresh and delicious. Enjoy!

Source: Southern Living - Lemon-Scented Sugar Snap Peas

*I cut this recipe in half when I made it (for 2 people). Below is the original and serves 4-6. 

Ingredients:

2  pounds  fresh sugar snap peas
2  tablespoons  butter or margarine
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind
3/4  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Cook peas in boiling salted water for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain. (I skipped this plunging step, and it worked out just fine!)

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat; add peas, and sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and remaining ingredients. Sauté 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus

This is probably one of my favorite ways to eat vegetables. I absolutely love asparagus, and so does my husband - it just works out perfectly! This is super easy, but it looks and tastes like it's gourmet (my favorite!). I serve this with pretty much any main main dish - chicken, turkey, fish - it's all good. And let's be honest, what isn't good with a heaping handful of parmesan cheese?

*Pictured above with The Best Turkey Burger.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus

olive oil

salt & pepper

garlic powder

1/2 cup parmesan cheese (I use shredded, not grated) - be generous!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil - this makes clean up a breeze! Trim the bottoms off the asparagus and place on baking sheet. Drizzle oil over the asparagus - toss to coat. Line them up in a single layer on the pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese over the asparagus. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Mmm.

Balsamic Garlic Green Beans

I needed a quick side dish, and I had just bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar. I LOVE balsamic vinegar and believe that any vegetable tastes amazing with it. I broke into a package of frozen green beans - and ta da! - a yummy side dish.

Ingredients:

1 small package frozen green beans

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Cook green beans according to package - I placed them in a skillet with a little bit of water, brought it to a boil, cooked for 5 minutes, then drained the water. Add to the skillet the balsamic vinegar and garlic - cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Casserole

I use the word "casserole" lightly - I don't think this is necessarily a casserole, but it's the best way to describe it! My husband and I always have a vegetable side dish with every meal - this has forced me to become creative. I found some great butternut squash at our local Trader Joe's (pre-cut) - and wanted to spice it up a bit. After searching around online, I found a few recipes that looked yummy....so I combined them all. This is super easy, so enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. butternut squash (peeled and cubed)

1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Hawaiian Red Sea Salt)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used an Italian 4-cheese blend)

Directions:

Set oven to 425. Mix together squash, onion, salt, pepper and melted butter - place into 9x9 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, milk and cheese. Pour over mixture. Bake for another 20 minutes.