Special of the day: A Roundup of Roasted Vegetable Recipes

07 Mar Special of the day: A Roundup of Roasted Vegetable Recipes

It all boils down to three words of sage advice that keep popping up again and again: eat your vegetables.

One of the healthiest things you can do for your body is to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. Low in fat and calories, vegetables are high in fiber and nutrients and rich in antioxidants which have been shown to prevent diseases, cardiovascular conditions and strokes. In addition, the vitamins and minerals you obtain from eating a variety of vegetables can benefit the health of your skin and hair.

It sure sounds good on paper, but amping up the volume of veggies you consume is sometimes easier said than done.  Salads and soups seem to be the standbys when it comes to these superfood stars of the show.  But if you’re looking to revitalize your vegetable recipe repertoire, roasting them with garlic proves to be an easy and efficient way to infuse the nutrient-rich nuggets into your weekly master plan of meals.

Pay it forward by firing up the oven and roasting a few of your favorite vegetables and enjoy the fruits (okay, veggies) of your labor all week: in a frittata, in baked sweet potatoes and on a pesto pizza.

This week’s Special of the day: A Roundup of Roasted Vegetable Recipes including Roasted Vegetable Frittata with Basil and Parmesan, Baked Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Roasted Vegetables, and Pesto Pizza with Roasted Vegetables. Happy Roasting!

 

Garlic Roasted Vegetables

(You may want to double this recipe and make two pans of roasted vegetables if you plan to make all three recipes that follow.)

1 yellow squash

1 small bunch asparagus, ends trimmed

4 small tomatoes

1 butternut squash

1 red bell pepper, seeded

2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

½ cup olive oil, divided 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice vegetables into ¼ inch thick slices of uniform length.

Brush large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.

Arrange sliced vegetables in a single layer to cover pan.

Distribute minced garlic over sliced vegetables.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast vegetables in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until browned nicely.

Remove from oven and let cool.

*Can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for use in the recipes that follow. 

 

Roasted Vegetable Frittata with Basil and Parmesan

(serves 2-4)

4 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

½ cup Garlic Roasted Vegetables (from recipe above)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a wire whisk, whisk eggs in a medium mixing bowl until beaten.

Add salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Heat a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.

Add butter to hot pan and allow to melt.

When butter is melted, use a pastry brush to spread it around the pan to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.

Pour beaten eggs into pan and cook until edges are set.

Arrange Garlic Roasted Vegetables on top of partially cooked eggs.

Sprinkle edges of frittata with parmesan cheese and arrange basil leaves around vegetables.

Remove frittata from stove and place in preheated oven to finish cooking the eggs on top.

Bake frittata until eggs are set in the middle, about 10 minutes.

Slide frittata out of pan onto cutting board and cut into wedges with pizza cutter.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

 

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Roasted Vegetables

(serves 2)

 

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup Garlic Roasted Vegetables, rewarmed, if desired

1 tablespoon butter, divided

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pierce top side of potatoes with a sharp knife or fork.

Bake sweet potatoes in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until baked through.

Remove baked sweet potatoes from oven, split with a knife and stuff with Garlic Roasted Vegetables and butter.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Pesto Pizza with Roasted Vegetables

(serves 4-6)

Make the crust:

¾ cup warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon yeast

2 cups flour

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup salt

½ cup prepared pesto

½ cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup Garlic Roasted Vegetables

¼ cup cornmeal

Pour warm water into small bowl and add sugar.

Stir to dissolve.

Sprinkle yeast over water.

Stir to combine and let yeast bloom until foamy.

In mixing bowl, combine yeast, flour, olive oil and salt.

Mix until dough forms a ball.

(Add a bit more warm water if necessary.)

Remove dough to floured board and knead briefly.

Place dough in oiled mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove dough from bowl.

Punch down and shape dough into large thin round crust for pizza.

Sprinkle corn meal over large baking sheet.

Transfer pizza crust to baking sheet.

Spread crust with pesto to cover, leaving a narrow border around edges.

Top with cheese.

Arrange Garlic Roasted Vegetables on top of cheese.

Brush edges of crust with olive oil.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is nicely browned.

Remove from oven.

Use pizza cutter to cut into slices.

Serve hot.

Enjoy! 

                Sydne George is a food journalist specializing in recipe development, food writing and food photography. She can be reached at sydnegeorge@hotmail.com . Sydne’s recipes from “Special of the day” are archived at http://sydnegeorge.com/blog/.