Warm and Comforting foods

During these colder months I crave those warming foods, like hot soup and roasted veggies... Studies have shown that they do have an effect on our moods, like emotional stress and depression. Instead of grabbing that snack or chocolate lets do good for our body, mind and souls.

make these wonderful....

Roasted Veggies

I’m making roasted vegetables But I suppose there are always questions, such as: peel first, or not, or how hot should the oven be, and what do I dress the vegetables with first?

My favorite vegetable‘s in the cold weather months include, carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, winter squash, onions, heads of garlic, beets, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, broccoli, broccoli raab. Fennel also roasts well. So do leeks. (In summer, when I have them, I do peppers, eggplant and summer squash.)

For efficiency: Since the oven’s on, fill both racks and bake a whole sweet or white potato or some halved squash, too, as in the top photo, or a tray of marinated tofu, or, even some baked pears. Cooking up lots of vegetables at once means I have no excuse not to eat a portion at every meal, and even cold they make great snacks…or can become ingredients in other dishes, like these:

§  Pasta: Toss into spaghetti or penne with good olive oil and some red pepper flakes and grated cheese

§  Over salad Halved Brussels sprouts are a favorite for this, perhaps tossed with vinaigrette, and topped with shaved hard cheese. Finely cubed mixed root vegetables, tossed in oil and balsamic and roasted, would make a great salad course on their own or over greens.

§  In a pastry: Maybe layer roasted vegetables onto your favorite crust and melt some cheese on top, or make it more quiche-like with egg as well? Or skip the crust and just make a frittata.

Roasted vegetable guidelines

§  Temperature: Use a 400-to-425-degree F oven. Be sure to preheat!

If your oven causes the oiled veggies to smoke at that temperature, as mine can, 375 F will work, too, just slightly more slowly, and perhaps with less caramelizing.

§  Cut up all your vegetables to the same approximate size, so they cook evenly. Or simply vary the cooking times by putting similar-sized things in their own pans and removing individual pans as the contents are done.

§  Different vegetables in different sizes will take about 30 minutes to an hour, and your desired doneness is also a factor. Brussels sprouts will get really deep brown, though they are “done” before that.

§  Clean the vegetables, but as for peeling, it’s optional if the skin is edible or organic, such as potatoes (white or sweet and even carrots and other roots. Often the browned skin after roasting is the tastiest part.

§  Never peel beets but rather slip their skins off after roasting. Cover them, either using foil or in a lidded, ovenproof cast-iron frying pan, everything else, leave uncovered.

§  A low-sided pan, such as for cookies, will result in best browning, though pie and cake pans, including Pyrex, and even some old cast-iron fry pans work too.  Don’t overcrowd the pieces in the pan or they won’t brown.

§  Use only olive oil and sea salt to dress vegetables unless you have a special blend that you enjoy!

§  Don’t drizzle the oil over the vegetables when they are already in their baking pans. This leads to a smokier oven (and wasted oil). Toss vegetable pieces first instead in a big bowl with just a little oil and any other seasonings, before spreading the oiled pieces on the pan.

§  If you’re adding fresh herbs, do so partway through cooking, maybe after 20 minutes, so they don’t incinerate.

§  Shake the pan a few times during cooking to prevent sticking, or use tongs to turn things periodically.