"indian" roasted vegetables

Remember my roasted vegetables obsession? Today I made it ethnic. I've been craving Indian food lately, and on my new budget, eating out has been cut way down.



I chopped up a large eggplant, a head of cauliflower, and a red onion, and tossed that with a can of drained chickpeas, a couple of smashed garlic cloves, some olive oil, S&P, and about 3T of some Indian spices. (I was lazy and used a spice mix from Naturally India, which is a mix of coriander, chili, ginger, cumin, garlic, cumin, garlic, fenugreek, turmeric, cayenne, and bay- but you could certainly use the blend of your choice. I like Alton Brown's, which you can find here.)

Roast the veggies at 450 for about 20 minutes, then kick the heat to 500 for another 10 minutes. Toss with a large spoon about every 10 min. In the meantime, prepare some basmati rice. Once it's done, stir in a tsp of turmeric, a tsp of saffron, and a pat of butter (you certainly substitute olive oil to make the rice vegan).

Serve vegetables over rice, and garnish with mint and parsley. Top it off with a nice big dollop of plain yogurt mixed with chopped fresh mint.

roasted winter vegetables

My Vegetarian Times magazine this month was all about roasted winter vegetables. Added bonus of eating locally? Vegetables in season are CHEAP!

A couple of nights ago I made this dish for my roommates:



Basically, it's 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets, about 10-12 large Brussells sprouts, halved, 2 large carrots, cut into sticks, and 1/2 of a HUGE yam, cubed. (PS> All that was about $4.) I tossed the vegetables with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, rosemary and thyme I had leftover from Thanskgiving (just throw it in there whole; the leaves will fall off during cooking and you can fish the stems out before serving), and 4-5 smashed garlic cloves. Season to your liking. Luckily I had this fabulous alderwood-smoked salt that really added to the depth of the dish. Roast at 450 for about 20-30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. After that, turn the heat up to 500 and let everything get golden brown and delicious. Once you pull it out, sprinkle with fresh parsley and lemon juice. I served with black rice, but I think it would be amazing with a hunk of crusty rustic bread.

Tonight I made baby red potatoes and brussells sprouts with thyme and a splash of white balsamic vinegar. I also have plans for a red onion, some chickpeas, and an eggplant. Suddenly my new favourite oven setting is 500!!!