Kitchen

[mousiegirl]

I roast all root veges, and toss the rest, after cooked, with extra virgin olive oil and crushed garlic, and red pepper flakes can be added for a kick.

[Sammijo10]

On 10/22/2014 HonnyBrown said:

Chop them into big chunks, pour a cap of olive oil and a cap of balsamic vinegar over them and ROAST until they smell good!

BINGO! Also, most leftover roasted veggies can be heated up with some chicken broth and then tossed in a blender or use a hand blender and voila - creamy veggie soup. Works especially well if there is a potato lurking in the mix! Carrots, butternut squash, parsnips, turnips and a white or sweet potato are yummy roasted and make a great soup the next day. You can take the time to cut up the fresh ones into chunks or most come already chopped in the produce or freezer section of the market. Potatoes aren't the enemy either. They are inexpensive and have a lot of nutrients as long as they are not mashed with lots of cream and butter.

In the winter soups are a good way to get some additional veggies and it's comfort food for sure and quite filling. I'll be making lentil soup today. Last week it was Italian Wedding soup with spinach for the greens. Probably Minestrone next week with some white beans added to the mix.

[Danielle46]

I'm also a big fan of roasting veggies. They come out amazing. I like to make a combination of onions, red peppers, eggplant, fresh garlic. I toss them in a little olive oil then add a little salt and pepper. I dice them and roast them at 425 until they are done. OMG, they come out amazing. Can also roast butternut squash with onion - toss with olive oil and salt, pepper and a little brown sugar. Dice them up first and cook at 425 until done (maybe about 45 min - an hour). They come out caramelized and sweet like sweet potatoes. As others have mentioned you can also roast veggies and toss with balsamic vinegar. Your only limited by your imagination.

[HonnyBrown]

Sammijo, I make a 9x13 dish of whatever veggies I have in the fridge on Saturday. I never have leftovers! Between the roasting and the balsamic, the flavor of the veggies becomes sweet.

While I prefer whole, fresh vegetables, peeling a butternut squash brought me to my knees.

[Ladybug724]

If you roast broccoli (and you should try it, it's the best) don't forget to cut up the stem and roast it too. It's the best part!

[PamelaSue72]

I don't care for smoothies at all. I roast our vegetables. A quick drizzle of olive oil, a quick sprinkle of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper are all that's needed. And they're really delicious. There's something about roasting that caramelizes vegetables, especially squashes and such. They are decadently good.

One of my favorite roasted vegetable recipe is from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa: Roasted Winter Vegetables. It uses chunks of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, and even parsnips. They're delicious. I always roast enough to make her Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup with any leftovers. The problem is that even when I make extra roasted vegetables, we sit and pick at them until there's nothing left anyway! That's how good they are.

[Sammijo10]

On 10/22/2014 PamelaSue72 said:

I don't care for smoothies at all. I roast our vegetables. A quick drizzle of olive oil, a quick sprinkle of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper are all that's needed. And they're really delicious. There's something about roasting that caramelizes vegetables, especially squashes and such. They are decadently good.

One of my favorite roasted vegetable recipe is from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa: Roasted Winter Vegetables. It uses chunks of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, and even parsnips. They're delicious. I always roast enough to make her Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup with any leftovers. The problem is that even when I make extra roasted vegetables, we sit and pick at them until there's nothing left anyway! That's how good they are.

OMG! I use the same recipe with the intention of making the soup too! I'd say four out of five times, I have to make another batch of the veggies if I want the soup!

[Suzeecat]

If you want to try steaming veggies, try steaming them with chicken broth instead of plain water. It adds some extra flavor.

[PamelaSue72]

On 10/22/2014 Sammijo said:

On 10/22/2014 PamelaSue72 said:

I don't care for smoothies at all. I roast our vegetables. A quick drizzle of olive oil, a quick sprinkle of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper are all that's needed. And they're really delicious. There's something about roasting that caramelizes vegetables, especially squashes and such. They are decadently good.

One of my favorite roasted vegetable recipe is from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa: Roasted Winter Vegetables. It uses chunks of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, and even parsnips. They're delicious. I always roast enough to make her Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup with any leftovers. The problem is that even when I make extra roasted vegetables, we sit and pick at them until there's nothing left anyway! That's how good they are.

OMG! I use the same recipe with the intention of making the soup too! I'd say four out of five times, I have to make another batch of the veggies if I want the soup!

It is decadent, isn't it? So good!

[mousiegirl]

On 10/22/2014 HonnyBrown said:

Sammijo, I make a 9x13 dish of whatever veggies I have in the fridge on Saturday. I never have leftovers! Between the roasting and the balsamic, the flavor of the veggies becomes sweet.

While I prefer whole, fresh vegetables, peeling a butternut squash brought me to my knees.

HonnyBrown, I agree, but it is so worth it. This squash is so fantastic roasted, and at times, I sprinkle some Asian chili powder cayenne and honey or something similar over the chunks, though roasted, this squash is sweet. I saw is peeled on a food show, and it is easier than the way I had been doing it. Stand it on end, and use a potato peeler. The most difficult part of using this squash, is cutting through it. My big knife was stuck in one last night, happened before, so I had to wait until DH to get home to drive the knife through. This time, I was cooking it for my pups to add more fiber to their food.