Roasted Vegetables & Catch Up Salad

It's day four of our VegOut challenge and to be honest, it's been really fun. So far we aren't doing much differently than what we normally do, but we are talking more about what we are eating. I am getting more feedback on the way our family cooks things and we are simplifying life in the kitchen and at the table. Something that makes me feel like we are almost cheating is the Farmhouse Delivery that gets dropped on our doorstep every two weeks. We are expecting ours this Saturday. This past weekend we were at my parent's house when theirs arrived and I wanted a chance to show you what could be done with this amazing barrel of goodies! 

 

I love opening these boxes up. Even though you have some idea of what to expect, it's still a little like vegetable Christmas. Everything is always so beautiful and there is something I love about getting root vegetables that still have a bit of the earth they grew in stuck to the skin. Pictured above: lacinto (or dinosaur) kale, a bag of mixed greens, green onions, brussels sprouts, oranges, tomatoes, broccoli, beets and a sweet potato. How beautiful are these tomatoes?

 

My mother keeps an organic garden and had some cauliflower that was ready to be plucked. We grabbed that and some carrots from a previous delivery. We washed the sweet potato and cauliflower, peeled the carrots and beets, broke them into pieces and preheated the oven to 425. 

Forty five minutes later, this is what came out:

I love roasting vegetables. The browning on a cauliflower might be enough of a reason. Mostly though, I love roasting vegetables because I'm busy. I've got two young kids and even though I love to cook, I also love reading, and having a life outside of the kitchen. Roasting vegetables on Sunday night can get you all set for the week if you do it well enough. We have roasted vegetables and then run to the store for some items to throw on the grill. Dinner is done. Also, roasted vegetables are easy for the whole family. We sauteed the kale, my mom made chicken and dumplings & some meatball lasagna. Here is our almost three year old daughter's dinner plate:

Clockwise from the top: Chicken and Dumplings, Cauliflower, Carrots, Meatballs & Kale

 For our 8 month old, we diced up some of the carrots and sweet potatoes. If you wanted to adapt for a younger baby, take the carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, or beets and chop them. Then toss them into a blender or food processor with some water, breast milk or formula. I usually use water and some seasoning from our spice rack. Process them until they are the desired consistency. You just roasted your own baby food. For less dishes to clean, you can use a hand blender to puree the veggies.

When we got home we continued our roasting with some sweet potato and beet rounds. Our whole family ate salmon with beets & sweet potatoes for dinner.

 

 Roasting comes pretty easily after you have been doing it a while, and again it's a great way to cook lots of vegetables and store them up for a week's worth of meals. You can start with them simply washed, season them with olive oil, salt, pepper, or spices. You can make it your own. For an even easier veggie prep, you could just go raw.

Raw is easy, raw is good.

Here is where we are in our challenge:
Day 1 - Kale, braised
Day 2 - Avocado, fresh
Day 3 - Cabbage, smothered
Day 4 - Beets, roasted

The great thing about VegOut is that you can still register and start. Even though we are only highlighting one veggie a day, all you need to do is eat 30 different vegetables in 30 days. I always thought that I was teaching my kids to love cooking by just the act of cooking. This challenge has made me realize how many ways I can involve them and get them interested in the kitchen. You can register HERE and to help you out, here is a fresh salad that will make up for missing the first four days.

Catch Up Salad (serves 1)

Ingredients:

1C Arugula

1C Spinach

1/2C Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half

1/2 an avocado, cubed

Fresh Feta to crumble on top

Dressing:

1/4C Grapeseed Oil (you can sub Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1 Tbsp lime

1 tsp honey

Pinch of salt

Fresh Pepper to Taste 

Mix all of your dressing ingredients well with a fork or whisk. 

Washy and dry your greens and tomatoes. Slice the grape tomatoes in half, cut the avocado into cubes, and toss everything together with the dressing. Add feta on top or before tossing. 

See, now you're all caught up! 

Coming up next - I've got a great soup recipe that will knock out kale, onion, and acorn squash. 

Side note: Posting about vegetables on Fat Tuesday is only ok if you had pancakes for dinner.

Happy Mardi Gras, y'all!

- RT