It was harder than I thought it would be to choose the inaugural recipe here. As time goes on, I’ll be happy to feature anything and everything that passes through my kitchen, but as your first glimpse it seemed important to kick off with something that sets the stage for my style of eating.
Of course, this made me gather some thoughts about what reflects my “style”. While I like cooking all kinds of dishes, the major focus of my cooking efforts is getting a wholesome meal on the dinner table. Like many families, dinner is the meal that we are most likely to enjoy together, and might I add, there’s just something climactic about the evening meal. After the challenges of the day, dinner gives the opportunity to slow down and turn our attention to nourishing ourselves. I love that about dinner.
When I browse the web, I love discovering recipes that are simple/versatile/ACHIEVABLE enough to make it into my immediate meal plan. Elaborate projects are fun too, but I am always in demand of those quick meals that propel me into the kitchen, and make the cooking task a little less daunting after a long day. Recipes that rely on my favorite staple ingredients, and those that avoid excess kitchen mess both fall into this category.
I’m not a vegetarian, but we do eat a lot of meatless meals in my household – I’d say 50/50 on average. It’s good for the budget, and helps us maintain a healthy balance. I want readers of any dietary restrictions to feel welcome here, so maybe I’m crazy, but I didn’t want to turn anyone off with a big ‘n meaty first post! Going forward you will see a variety of foods on this blog, but I’m always open to talks about adaptations; after all, this is a site about making healthy eating work for ALL of us.
So: dinner. simple. versatile. plant-based. sparing us a sinkful of dirty dishes. Using these guidelines as a prompt, I came up with this quick roasted vegetable dinner. It’s simultaneously light and hearty, and it’s totally delicious.
This dinner is loaded with fiber and phytonutrients, and could be a major buzzer-beater on a day when you’re struggling to meet your 5-A-Day. It could be a true one-dish meal if you bulk it up with sliced potatoes, but I was craving some couscous to soak up the saucy goodness. If you’re looking to up the protein, throw some chicken/tofu in the sheet pan, or serve over quinoa. This is also the kind of thing that would be a tasty base for a fried/poached egg. You can leave out the sumac if you don’t have it on hand, but I love the bright lemony flavor it adds.
Preheat oven to 400. Combine all vegetables on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, add seasonings, and toss to combine. Roast the vegetables until they are tender and tomatoes have softened, about 25 minutes. After removing from the oven, add lemon juice and toss, slightly crushing the tomatoes to encourage sauciness. Serve over couscous and top with feta.
https://flavorrd.com/2013/12/saucy-roasted-greek-vegetables/
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