I love roasted vegetables. Something almost magical happens while they are in the oven. But actually, roasting veggies transforms them from ordinary to delicious in two simple scientific ways. First, some of the water in the veggies evaporates during the baking process resulting in a more intense flavor. Plus, the vegetables caramelize on the outside allowing their natural sugars to shine forth. Like I said – almost magical.

Then of course there are the simple additives like olive oil, garlic, herbs, spices, cheeses, etc. that help transform the simple vegetable to a culinary treat. (Not too shabby for a food that is totally good for us!)

So when I needed a veggie side dish to serve yesterday to our JazzVox guests, I decided to roast 2 of my favorite veggies together using my usual “roasted veggie dressing”.

And today I decided to publish this recipe because I realized I had been terribly remiss in not doing so already. Plus I promised my good friend Laurie I would post the recipe as soon as possible. 

Laurie is a self-confessed reluctant vegetable lover. But she wanted to know how to prepare these veggies after having tasted them at the pre-concert meal. So this recipe is dedicated to Laurie and to any of the rest of you who want to eat more veggies in the worst way. Well that ain’t going to happen! However, this is the best way I know to turn one of the healthy components of a well-balanced meal into a pleasure rather than a chore.

So, eat your veggies ladies and gentlemen. But don’t limit yourself to broccoli and cauliflower. Almost any veggie can be roasted, and almost any veggie is more delicious when slathered in supplemented olive oil and allowed to spend some quality time in an oven. Well OK, there are a few veggies that maybe shouldn’t be roasted, like salad greens and cucumbers. But other than those few, all the rest are fair game!  

• 2 c. small fresh broccoli pieces
• 2 c. small fresh cauliflower pieces
• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• tiny pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lg. clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 c. finely grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese (I use a combination)

Place broccoli and cauliflower pieces in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Pour over the veggies and mix well. (I use my hands to mix the veggies because then I can feel if the olive oil has kissed each and every veggie piece. If the veggies seem too dry, add a bit more oil. What you do not want however, are veggies drowning in oil.) Spread veggies onto a baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender and both the veggies and cheese are turning a light golden brown.

So when I reasoned that a nice medium-rare steak and a potato might possibly save my sanity one evening about a week before Christmas, I decided to mess with yet another way to serve potatoes that a) Mr. C. might enjoy, and b) I would love and not suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous guilt!

I had recently read that the less olive oil, butter, vegetable oil, etc. you rubbed onto paper towel dried veggies before roasting them, the crisper they would turn out. So I tried this theory when I roasted our Yukon gold potatoes that evening. OMG. They were slightly crispy on the outside, beautifully seasoned (my addition to the success), and creamy on the inside. In other words – perfect. And, they were not that caloric! A medium-sized Yukon gold potato has about 120 calories. Add a few calories for the olive oil, this preparation is still a lot healthier than mashed, French fried, or baked potatoes with all the requisite “garnishes” like butter, sour cream, bacon bits, etc.

And not only were they perfect with the steak, I knew they would be a great addition to any meat entrée. So if you too are a potato lover, but abhor the calories usually associated with said Solanum tuberosum, give this preparation a try. Of course if you are into guilt, this recipe might not help with your issues, but it’s still pretty darn delicious so you can use that in your defense!    

• 2-3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. dry rosemary*, ground fairly fine in a mortar and pestle
• ½ tsp. Mrs. Dash (one of the best no-salt seasonings around)
• ¼ tsp. granulated garlic
• 3 med. sized Yukon gold potatoes, cut in chunks, wedges, quarters, or 8ths depending on the size. (What you really want are equal sized pieces.)

Whisk together 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, Mrs. Dash, and granulated garlic in a medium-sized bowl. Before you add the potatoes, dry each piece with a paper towel. (You want as much moisture as possible off of the potato chunks. Add to the bowl and stir until every piece has a thin coating of the olive oil mixture. Add additional olive oil only if necessary. (You don’t want any oil left in the bowl to pour over the potatoes.)

Bake in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. (If you have convection – use it!)  Reduce heat to 400 degrees, and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Serve immediately.

*I like dried rosemary for this dish because the taste of rosemary does not overpower the flavor of the potato. It’s subtle, not in your face. And for these potatoes, which are a great accompaniment to steak, hamburgers, pork chops, you name it – the yummy potato flavor is what you want.

[contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

I am always trying to find ways to serve veggies in a more interesting manner. So while deciding how to prepare the broccoli I already had on hand for a Carr family dinner, I found this recipe which I had copied who knows how long ago. It sounded wonderful and I felt it would go very well with the baked salmon and mushroom risotto my sister-in-law was preparing. And you know, sometimes I get lucky. And I sure did when I served this wonderful dish.

It is extremely easy to prepare, the presentation is beautiful, and the flavor divine. Even your children might find that broccoli isn’t so awful when it’s drizzled with this yummy sauce.

Having just typed “yummy”, I am reminded of the article I read this morning in the NW section of the Seattle Times entitled “The food terms Seattle chefs hate”. And I realized in just a few sentences, I had used two of the food terms that eight Seattle chefs would most like to never hear again. The two words I used, and use quite often are “veggie” and “yummy”. According to the chefs – veggie because it’s demeaning to the noble vegetable and just sounds gross. (Really people. Demeaning? Is it demeaning when people call me Patti rather than Patricia? And gross? How about escargot, tripe or Rocky Mountain oysters if you really want to talk gross!)  And yummy, because the word should be reserved for lollipops and the like. (Well, if I never before felt inadequate about not being a trained chef, this statement has surely put me in my place! Because when someone tells me that a dish I’ve prepared is “yummy”, I take that as a compliment. Never once have I thought to myself, I wish they had told me the dish was delicious, luscious, or scrumptious. Good grief! But then, I’m not a trained culinary expert, so I guess therein lies the difference.)

So you know where this is leading. I will continue to use words such as “veggie” and “yummy” when I am describing dishes. I will concede and not use one of the listed terms – umami – because I don’t have a clue what the word actually means! I do however know what yummy means. And this recipe is a prime example.  

• 1½ lbs. fresh broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (see picture of 1 1/2 lbs. below)
• 1/3 c. unsalted butter
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 3 T. low-sodium Tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tsp. plain white vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper
• pinch kosher salt, unless using regular soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 c. chopped salted cashews

Steam the broccoli until crisp tender. (If not serving immediately, run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Heat later when ready to serve.) Arrange broccoli on a serving plate or in a low sided serving bowl.

While the broccoli is steaming, melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, salt, and garlic. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Mix in the cashews, and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately.

(sorry no picture of prosciutto wrapped asparagus) 

OK, I know everyone knows how to bake asparagus. But its asparagus time in the city! So I felt some of you might appreciate a little ”kick in the pants” reminder of how easy and fast asparagus is to prepare in the oven. And since these recipes (if you can even call them that) are so terribly simple, I thought I would keep my introduction simple too.   

Parmesan:

• 16 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed, washed, and dried as well as possible
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• scant ¼ c. finely grated Parmesan

Place the asparagus spears on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, massage with finger tips to make sure the asparagus is completely coated, then sprinkle evenly with the grated Parmesan.  

Bake for about 8-10 minutes in a preheated 450 degree oven or until the asparagus is tender and the Parmesan is just starting to brown. Serve immediately.

Prosciutto:

• 16 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed, washed, and dried as well as possible
• 8 slices prosciutto, cut in half
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper

Wrap each asparagus spear with prosciutto, starting at the bottom, and spiraling upward. Place the wrapped spears on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle very lightly with pepper.

Bake for 5 minutes in a preheated 450 degree oven. Remove from oven and carefully turn each spear.  Return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender and the prosciutto is crisp. Serve immediately.

I love sweet potatoes. And most of the time when I serve them for dinner, I simply bake one and split it with Mr. C. Now if I could just eat the sweet potato with no additives, I would be fine. But the thought of not “decorating” my half with lots of butter, salt, and pepper, is just totally unappealing. So, out comes the butter dish every time.

But last night I decided that instead of simply baking the sweet potato whole, I would try a different approach. So I went to the internet for inspiration. And I found a simple recipe on the Epicurious site. I changed the recipe a bit to better fit our tastes. The result was both easy and delicious. And the best part. Not a dab of butter was used. Just a small amount of olive oil, plus fresh garlic and thyme. Speaking of time. (Nice segue wouldn’t you say?) This recipe takes no longer to get on the table than if I had simply baked the potato. Of course there is a bit of prep time, but not 30 minute’s worth. (Baking a whole sweet potato – 60 minutes. Baking these potato rounds – 30 minutes.)

So if you want a new and healthy way to serve sweet potatoes, give this recipe a try. You will be surprised by how much the addition of thyme and garlic enhances the flavor of the sweet potato. Of course I’m pretty sure garlic and thyme would enhance the flavor of dog food too given the opportunity. (Not going to give this hypothesis a try, you realize.)

So next time you are at the grocery store, bring home a couple of sweet potatoes. Even if you end up just baking them, you are doing your body a great favor. They are naturally rich in vitamin C, thiamine, niacin, and potassium. Just what the doctor ordered!

• 1 lg. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick rounds
• 2-3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T. fresh thyme leaves
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
• freshly ground black pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss until all pieces are coated with the oil. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place in a 400 degree oven and roast until tender and slightly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and if desired, lightly sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve immediately. Serves 2-3 beautifully.

I just recently developed a recipe for Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip (and yes I know, everyone and their dog has a recipe for this rather retro appetizer). But I didn’t happen to have a good one, so I thought I better get with the program.

Now you may feel that this seemingly outdated 50s cocktail party dip should go the way of the Partridge family. But I am here to tell you, when done right, there is no other dip quite so delicious. So, like I said, I worked up a version that I think will be fantastic . Actually I plan to serve the dip to our JazzVox* guests this Sunday. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Or I should say, if it turns out good, I’ll post the recipe. If not, you’ll never hear another word about the subject!

Anyway. The reason I mention the crab dip at all, is because I was thinking about the recipe when I was trying to figure out what vegetable to serve with dinner the other night. The veggies in my refrigerator crisper were all looking rather pathetic, especially the one tiny zucchini near the back. (I actually think it was trying to hide.) But something about the zucchini struck a chord with me. Imagine it hollowed out and stuffed with some of the same ingredients that I plan to use in my crab dip. Huh. So I snatched it from the bin, washed its little green hide thoroughly, cut it in two lengthwise and scooped out its innards. Then I mixed the soft flesh with the other ingredients listed below, threw the pan in the oven, and came back 30 minutes later. Well I am here to tell you; if my dip is half as good as this stuffed zucchini, I am going to have some very happy guests.

And for all you strictly healthy food advocates out there, I realize this is not a low calorie veggie dish. But once in a while, you simply must help an unpretentious and sometimes boring veggie (that would be the zucchini), become worthy of accolades (that would be the cream cheese, sour cream, and Parmesan part).

So if you are serving a fairly simple meat for dinner one of these evening, and need a veggie to liven up the meal a bit, give this recipe a try. You just won’t believe how good an “all dressed up” zucchini can taste.  

*For more information visit www.jazzvox.com  

• 1 medium sized zucchini, sliced lengthwise
• 2 T. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 T. sour cream
• 2 T. finely grated Parmesan
• pinch granulated garlic
• pinch seasoned salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• paprika

With a table fork, scoop out most of the flesh on each half of the zucchini and place it in a bowl. Add the soft cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan, and a pinch of granulated garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper. Place the zucchini halves in a baking dish. Fill the cavity with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake in a pre-heated 375 oven for 30 minutes or until the zucchini is soft and the filling puffy and slightly brown. Serve hot.