Something my dad would cook!

My dad is always finding different healthy recipes to try, and when I saw this my first thought was "my dad would love this recipe!" I originally got this off a gluten free website, but of course I adapted it to make it my own! For all my gluten free friends out there, if you don't follow this site, she has some great recipes! http://glutenfreegirl.com/roasted-vegetable-salad/

I had a ton of vegetables from the farmers market I wanted to use, so I just roasted all of them and added them to the recipe. I had bought kale too for the recipe, but I ended up eating it all before I made it. I am sure kale would be fabulous in this too! I cooked the beets the night before just to make it easier (and I wanted to make sure I did not forget to use them!), but you could cook them the same day, and just put them in a little earlier than the rest of the veggies.

When you cook the brown rice, I HIGHLY recommend using 1/2 water + 1/2 white wine (whatever you have opened). It makes the brown rice even more DELICIOUS! TRY IT...

Try this meal cold too! I had it the next day for lunch, and I LOVED it cold. It reminded me of a nice summer salad I would eat on a hot day ☀

Dad's Vegetable + Rice Salad
4 beets-any color, scrubbed, leaves trimmed
4 carrots, cut into bite size pieces pieces
12 asparagus
3 zucchini, cut into bite size pieces
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
8 pieces kale, stems removed and torn into pieces
Olive Oil
3/4 cup kalamata olives
salt + pepper
cheese- goat or fresh mozzarella (I used my dairy free cheese)


2 cups of cooked brown rice or quinoa


1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
pinch kosher salt and cracked black pepper
red pepper flakes-to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.


Coat beets lightly with oil. Wrap beets in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until cooked through, approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and then peel and cut into large slices.

Put the carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini and asparagus onto the baking sheet. Toss them with the oil and salt and pepper. Toss them in the olive oil until they are coated. Put the baking sheet into the oven and roast the vegetables until they are browned on the bottom and softened, about 20 minutes. If you use kale, throw in the kale pieces and toss the vegetables on the sheet again. Roast until the kale is a bit wilted, about 3 minutes.


While the veggies are cooking, go ahead and make the vinaigrette. Grab a small jar with a lid. Pour in the lemon juice, mustard, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Shake the jar. Add the oil. Shake the jar. Taste the vinaigrette and adjust the ingredients if necessary.

Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and toss them with the brown rice, the cheese, and the kalamata olives. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss. Enjoy!

xoxo

Meggan

Eggplant (my new favorite veggie)

So today I made my venture to Sprouts to pick up some things for the week :) They had a fabulous deal on all natural chicken, which fit in perfectly to our menu today. I purchased an eggplant ($.99) and Bill had leftover rice. Our entire meal tonight cost $3.07. I was able to split the chicken and freeze half, so we will be able to eat it at another time.

If you have never cooked eggplant, this is the week to try it! I have a fantastic recipe from The Newlywed Cookbook...

eggplant antipasto with pine nuts & herbs
2-3 eggplants about 1 1/2lb.*
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 small bunch of fresh mint
  half chopped. half in sprigs*
1 small bunch of fresh, flat-leaf
  parsley, half chopped, half sprigs*
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper


Slice the eggplants lengthwise 1/2 inch. Score both sides of each slice with a fork. Sprinkle with salt. Let drain on a rack for 20 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.

Heat a ridged stovetop grill pan until very hot. Wipe pan with olive oil using a wad of crumpled paper towels or a heatproof brush. Brush each slice of eggplant with olive oil. Press the eggplant down firmly on the hot pan and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, in batches if necessary, until grill-marked, tender, and aromatic. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet, add the pine nuts, and toast gently until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Sprinkle the cooked eggplant with chopped mint, chopped parsley, pepper, and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Loop the slices on serving plate, add the pine nuts and sprigs of mint and parsley, and serve.

*I only used one eggplant, and cut the recipe accordingly. Also, we did not have parsley or mint on ours because we did not have any in the house. Still turned out delicious!



Tip of the Day: Try a new vegetable...you may be surprised how much you like it (I keep telling this to Bill!)

xoxo

Meggan