Cold Weather Veggie Roast

I've always loved spending time in my kitchen, putting together different combinations of tastes and textures. I'm just as happy following someone else's recipe as I am creating my own dishes. I've been cooking for quite a few years, and the thing I've noticed is, sometimes the best recipes are the most simple ones. 

Cold Weather Veggie Roast is one of my very favorites. It's foolproof, you can use any combination of vegetables you have on hand and it is absolutely delicious. Here's a version I made recently with some organic veggies I picked up at the market. Cold Weather Veggie Roast can be eaten warm or chilled, as a main dish, a side, added to soups and salads, stuffed into tortillas - really, its uses are limited only by your imagination! Use organic vegetables when available.

Cold Weather Veggie Roast

Preheat oven to 400 F.

1/4 lb  broccoli

2 sweet potatoes

2 carrots

1 stalk leeks

1/4 lb okra

1 Italian eggplant

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

Fresh rosemary

Ground black pepper to taste

Sea salt to taste

1/4 cup olive oil (optional)

Wash all the vegetables, chop them into large chunks and put into a large bowl.  Mash the garlic. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, rosemary, grapeseed oil, sea salt and pepper.  Pour this mixture on top of the chopped vegetables, and mix well to coat the vegetables evenly.

Spread in a single layer on to a large cookie sheet and put into the oven for 30-45 minutes. After removing the roasted veggies from the oven, you can toss them with olive oil for a mediterranean flavor. Use combinations of different herbs and vegetables for variety!

World's Best Sugar-Free Dessert Recipe!

Want to satisfy your sweet tooth and get a giant helping of calcium, folate, potassium, beta carotene and Vitamin C? Have I got the dessert for you! And so easy to make, anyone can do it. Even your kids!

I use the sweet potatoes with the orange flesh in many different recipes. I just love their mildly spicy/sweet flavor and smooth texture. And they are so versatile! They can be used beautifully in both sweet and savory dishes.

For those who are watching their blood sugar levels (and really, we all should be), sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index. And their high content of potassium makes them the perfect food for avoiding muscle cramps, especially in very active people.

Before I get to the recipe, here's a short video about the difference between sweet potatoes and yams. (Hint: what the stores label as yams are more than likely sweet potatoes.)




World's Best Sugar-Free Dessert
             
2 medium sized sweet potatoes (with the red skin)
1 lemon

Makes two servings.

Preheat oven to 375. Thoroughly wash and dry sweet potatoes, then place in a baking dish. Be sure that the dish is big enough that the potatoes aren't touching one another or the sides of the dish. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until soft to the touch. Remove from oven, cut open the skin and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Alternately, you can cut open the skin and leave the flesh in. Either way, take a fork and mash the sweet potato until smooth and creamy, then squeeze some lemon juice on top. I really love the taste of lemon, so I go pretty heavy handed with it, but you can add as much or as little as you like. And that's it! You can serve this dish hot, warm, or cold, it is delicious in any form. I like it cold during the warmer months and warm in the colder months.

My kids have a great time making the Best Sugar-Free Dessert. They mash the potato and form it into fun shapes on their plates and garnish with raisins, nuts, cinnamon, or their very favorite, dried currants.