Roasted Root Vegetable & Brussel Sprout Medley

This vegetable side dish is one of many great recipes that I have adapted and loved from Vegetarian Times Magazine.  It was pretty quick to make and would go well as a side with pretty much anything. I served it alongside chicken tikka masala and brown basmati rice, and it was great. It would also be really good with some lean beef or wild salmon.

Roasted Root Vegetable & Brussels Sprout Medley

Ingredients

3 medium parsnips, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups organic rainbow baby carrots

2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

4 tsp olive oil (plus extra for oiling baking pans)

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil two large baking sheets.

2. Place parsnips and carrots in a large ziploc bag with 2 tsp olive oil. Shake to coat vegetables evenly, then spread on one of the baking sheets. Place brussels sprouts in separate ziploc bag with 2 tsp olive oil. Shake to coat evenly, then spread on second baking sheet.

3. Place all vegetables in oven and bake to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Remove brussels sprouts and bake carrots and parsnips for another 12-15 minutes, or until tender, stirring halfway through.

4. Whisk together honey, balsamic vinegar and garlic. In a large bowl toss mixture with all vegetables until evenly coated and serve.

(Recipe adapted from vegetariantimes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this vegetable dish? Parsnips are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese and iron. Carrots are a good source of fiber and beta carotene. Brussels sprouts are high in vitamins C and K and fiber. They are also a very good source of several nutrients, particularly folate, and are a good source of iron.

Kale & Farro Pilaf

Farro is a rice-like ancient grain that is gaining popularity for its versatility. It is very hard to overcook and doesn't tend to get mushy. It has a slight nutty flavor and is commonly used as a breakfast cereal, added to soups and salads, and also makes really good side dishes, as it takes on the flavor of what it is cooked with. Whole farro needs to be soaked overnight because the grain still retains the entire bran, but semi-pearled farro has had some of the bran removed, allowing it to cook faster but retain some fiber. I used semi-pearled farro in this recipe, and it cooked in about 30 minutes.  This was a really great dish for incorporating kale, and had a nice flavor from the dried porcini mushrooms. The original recipe I used from Vegetarian Times magazine called for a small amount of white wine, but I didn't have any in the house, so I replaced the wine with more vegetable stock. I also left out the red pepper flakes that the recipe called for. It turned out really great and held up well for leftovers!

Kale & Farro Pilaf

Ingredients

1/3 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup organic semi-pearled farro
1 shallot, finely chopped (~1/2 cup)
2 cups organic vegetable stock
2 cups, packed, organic kale, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tsp fresh organic thyme, chopped

Directions

1. Grind porcini mushrooms in food processor. Set aside.

2. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add farro and shallot, cook for about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup vegetable stock and cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Add ground mushrooms and remaining vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

4. Add kale on top of farro, do not mix in. Cover pan and let simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Fold kale into farro and top with sliced almonds and thyme.

(Recipe adapted from April 2016 issue of Vegetarian Times)

I served this farro as a side dish to go along with baked savory salmon. For my savory salmon recipe, click here.

What are the nutritional benefits of this dish? Semi-pearled farro is an excellent source of fiber and protein, and a great source of magnesium. Kale is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. It is also a good source of minerals calcium, copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorous.

Savory Salmon & Roasted Green Beans

Our grocery store has had the best wild sockeye salmon recently and we've been eating this dinner once a week. My father-in-law gave us a jar of Urban Accents Fisherman's Wharf seafood seasoning, and we use it on both the salmon and the green beans. 

This is my favorite meal to cook on swimming lesson nights because we get home pretty much right at dinner time so I don't have much time to cook. To make it as easy as possible, I buy the bags of pre-washed green beans that already have the ends removed. It takes me less than 5 minutes to prep everything and then 20 minutes later, it's ready to come out of the oven. We've been loving putting fresh squeezed lemon juice on both the salmon and the green beans - the perfect complement to both! 

Savory Salmon & Roasted Green Beans

Savory Salmon

Makes ~2 servings

Ingredients

3/4 pound wild sockeye salmon, with skin
Fisherman's Wharf seafood seasoning (or other favorite seasoning blend), to taste
Fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place fish on foil, skin side down.

3. Season fish with seafood seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

4. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and serve.

Roasted Green Beans

Ingredients

16 ounce bag pre-washed green beans (with ends removed)
Fisherman's Wharf seafood seasoning, to taste
Olive oil, for drizzling

Fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place green beans in baking dish. Season with seafood seasoning and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to evenly coat beans. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and serve.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Wild salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B6 and B12, vitamin D, and protein. Green beans are a great source of vitamin A, C and K, as well as fiber. 

Dad's Honey Brussels Sprouts

We recently visited my family in Ohio, and whenever we do, we are treated to some great meals made by my dad. One of my favorite things he made on this trip was these brussels sprouts. I typically just steam and lightly salt brussels sprouts when I make them, which tastes great and is very easy. But these were amazing (and very easy as well). My dad used a guava wood smoked Hawaiian sea salt to lightly season these, which added a great flavor. I happened to have some of this sea salt that he gave me a while back, so I was able to recreate  his recipe at home. This is definitely my new go-to method for cooking brussels sprouts. Thanks, Dad!

We had these tonight along with some broiled salmon - delicious!

Dad's Honey Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

8oz fresh brussels sprouts, cut in half length-wise

1 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste
Honey, for drizzling
Guava wood smoked Hawaiian sea salt

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat and add brussels sprouts. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Lightly drizzle with honey and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Stir until evenly combined.

What are the nutritional benefits of brussels sprouts? Brussels sprouts are high in vitamins C and K and fiber. They are also a very good source of several nutrients, particularly folate, and are a good source of iron.

Roasted Stuffed Zucchini

Looking for something to do with those huge zucchini from the garden? This is a great healthy recipe, and makes a great side dish with anything that you toss on the grill!

Roasted Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients

2 large or 4 small zucchini

Olive oil, for drizzling

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 small yellow onion, chopped

4 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 slices fresh bread (I used sourdough)

Butter for spreading on bread (~3 tsp)

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Cut Zucchini in half, lengthwise. Use spoon to remove seeds and soft flesh in center.

3. Place zucchini, skin side down, in baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

4. Toast bread slices and then liberally spread with butter. Tear into pieces and place in food processor with onion, tomatoes, garlic, parsley and basil. Pulse until makes a course bread crumb mixture. Place mixture in bowl and fold in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and egg.

5. Fill zucchini with bread crumb mixture and place in oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle remaining parmesan on top and roast for additional 3 minutes.

What are the nutritional benefits of this dish?  Zucchini is a good source of vitamin C and also provides fiber, manganese, lutein and zeaxanthin (phytonutrients that are good for eyesight). Onions are rich in quercetin, a type of antioxidant, as well as vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, K, folate, thiamin, and minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese. Tomatoes are high in lycopene and vitamin C.

Zoodles with Slow Cooker Bolognese

We bought a Vegetti a few months back and love it even more than we thought we would! It is really easy to use, and using it to make vegetable replacements for pasta is surprisingly amazing. We have been liking zoodles (zucchini noodles) more than regular pasta. The texture/slight crunch of zoodles goes really well with a good meat sauce, or with some fresh herbs and olive oil as a side with chicken, fish, or even a steak. My favorite thing to do with zoodles is to top them with my slow cooker bolognese. The bolognese freezes really well so if I make a big batch, I can freeze enough for a future dinner (or two). When I thaw the sauce, all I need to do is heat it up and take 5 minutes to put a few zucchini through the Vegetti - and dinner is ready in 15 minutes!

Zoodles with Slow Cooker Bolognese

Ingredients

Fresh organic zucchini
Slow Cooker Bolognese

Directions
1. Make bolognese (view recipe by clicking link above)

2. Use Vegetti, or similar kitchen tool, to make zoodles from fresh zucchini

3. Serve zoodles cold, room temperature or heated to desired temperature. When boiling zoodles, boil for only 1-2 minutes to avoid excess softening. Drain or pat dry to remove excess liquid. Zoodles may also be heated briefly in the microwave or in a pan with a small amount of oil.

4. Top zoodles with slow cooker bolognese or other sauce and enjoy!

What are the nutrition benefits of zucchini versus noodles? Zucchini is a good source of vitamin C and also provides fiber, manganese, lutein and zeaxanthin (phytonutrients that are good for eyesight). Compared with traditional noodles, zucchini is much lower in calories, providing about 21 calories per cup. Traditional pasta provides about 200 calories per cup! Zucchini noodles are a fresh, whole food, whereas noodles are an enriched processed food product.

Steamed Artichokes

Steamed artichokes are really easy to make, taste very good and make a great appetizer.  If you have never eaten a fresh steamed artichoke, you remove one petal at a time and eat the fleshy portion at the bottom, then discard the remainder of the petal. The flavor of the artichoke flesh is great on its own, but is also very good dipped in a little bit of melted butter (if you want to have more of a splurge - which we did last night!).  This is a really nice appetizer if you have company, and is very good with a nice glass of wine.  My husband made these artichokes last night and we munched on them while making a home-made pizza and sipping on some read wine.

Steamed Artichokes

Ingredients

2 fresh whole organic artichokes

Water for steaming

Directions

1. Remove stems with a knife and cut off tops of artichokes, just enough so that they will stand in pan.

2. Fill bottom of medium-sized sauce pan with about 1/4 inch of water, just enough to create steam.  Bring water to a simmer and place artichokes in pan, stem side up. Cover and steam for 10-12 minutes, or until you can easily insert a knife into the fleshy portion of the artichoke.

3. Serve with melted butter.

What are the nutritional benefits of artichokes? Artichokes are a good source of fiber and vitamins C, K and folate. They are all packed with antioxidants, ranking number 7 on the USDA's list of the top 20 best sources of antioxidants.

Broiled Whitefish with Roasted Asparagus

The Lake Superior whitefish at our store looked really good this week, so I picked some up to make for dinner last night. We didn't do anything fancy to it - just seasoned it with same paprika, salt and pepper and served it with fresh lemon. It was such a nice, light dinner.  It went very well with the roasted asparagus and wild rice that we made to go with it.

As I usually do, I made the rice in the morning to save some time, and just reheated it while we made the rest of the dinner. Pre-making the rice allowed us to have our meal ready in just over half an hour in the evening!  My husband, Ted, was home yesterday so we cooked dinner together while enjoying a nice glass of wine - I pretty nice Monday evening if you ask me!

Broiled Whitefish with Roasted Asparagus

Broiled Whitefish

Ingredients

1 pound fresh Lake Superior whitefish, with skin
Paprika, salt (optional) and black pepper, for seasoning
Fresh lemon wedges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

2. Place fish, skin side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Season with salt (optional), pepper and paprika.  Bake for 10 minutes, then increase temperature to broil, and broil for 5-7 minutes.

3. Cut fish into 4-ounce servings.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt, for seasoning (optional)
Fresh lemon wedges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Snap off woody ends of asparagus.  Place in baking pan and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Toss until evenly coated. Roast in oven for 25 minutes.

3. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over asparagus before serving, or serve with lemon wedges.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? White fish is very low in fat and high in protein.  It is also a rich source of B vitamins and the minerals selenium and iodine. Asparagus is high in vitamin K and is also a great source of vitamin A, folate and iron. Wild rice is a great source of protein and antioxidants, as well as vitamins A, C and E.

Brined Chicken Breasts with Baked Tomatoes & Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The last time we visited my family, my dad made this chicken, and it was so good that I wrote down the recipe to bring back with us. This brine is so simple and infuses a lot of flavor into the chicken.  It can be challenging to make grilled chicken taste really good without a sauce, but this is one grilled chicken recipe that is so good that no sauce is necessary!

The baked tomatoes are also something that my dad introduced us to.  We did not follow any specific recipe for these ones, but were inspired by how we recalled that my dad usually makes them.  They are a really good side dish with  grilled chicken, and can easily be made dairy free by omitting the parmesan cheese.

My husband loves potatoes, and I wanted to try something new that was also dairy free so that our son, Charlie, could eat them.  These roasted garlic mashed potatoes were so flavorful, we didn't miss the butter and milk at all. The chicken stock and roasted garlic added plenty of richness without any of the  dairy (or fat!).

Brined Chicken Breasts with Baked Tomatoes & Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4

Brined Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

1 pound organic free-range chicken breasts

2 cups water

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 Tbsp kosher salt

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a gallon-sized sealable bag.  Place in the refrigerator to brine for 7 hours.

2. Preheat grill.  Cook chicken breasts for 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Baked Tomatoes

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Combine bread crumbs, cheese, salt, and pepper in small bowl.

3. Remove steams from tomatoes and cut tomatoes in half.  Place tomatoes in baking pan, flesh side up.  Top with bread crumb mixture and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

5 organic white potatoes
2 1/2 cups organic chicken stock
1 head fresh garlic

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

2. Wrap whole head of garlic in aluminum foil and bake for one hour.

3. Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add potatoes and chicken stock to a small pot and bring to a boil.  Boil for 15 minutes, or until tender (can be pierced with a fork and won't break apart). Drain the potatoes, reserving the stock.

4. Add 2 or 3 roasted garlic cloves to the potatoes. Mash potatoes with a potato masher, and add reserved stock as you mash until you achieve desired consistency.  For creamier potatoes, use a hand mixer.  Save the remainder of the head of roasted garlic for other recipes in the next several days (ie. soups, the spread on bread, etc).

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Tomatoes are an excellent source of lycopene and vitamin C. Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Baked Potatoes & Roasted Carrots

We recently discovered a fantastic butcher shop nearby, and have gotten some great cuts of meat there. On this trip, we picked up some skirt steak to grill and it was so good and so easy!  We made some simple baked potatoes and roasted carrots, and the meal could not have been any better. Ted made most of this dinner (all I really did was make the potatoes), and as much as I enjoy cooking, it was nice to have an evening off!

To save some time, you could always make the potatoes in the microwave. Just poke some holes in the potatoes, microwave them for 5 minutes, turn them over, and the microwave them for 5 more minutes. If you also don't have time to roast the carrots at dinner time, you can roast them the night before or in the morning, and reheat them when you make the rest of the meal.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Baked Potatoes & Roasted Carrots

Serves 4

Grilled Skirt Steak

Ingredients

1 pound grass-fed skirt steak
Salt, for seasoning
Ground black pepper, for seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat grill. 

2. Season steak with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill 7 1/2 minutes per side. Remove from grill and let meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Baked Potatoes

Ingredients

4 organic white potatoes
Salt, for seasoning
Olive oil spread for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Poke holes in top of potatoes with a fork

3. Place each potato on a square of aluminum foil and season with salt. Wrap each potato in its piece of aluminum foil. Bake for 90 minutes.

4. Cut potatoes open down the center and top with olive oil spread.

Roasted Carrots

Ingredients

1 pound organic carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt, for seasoning
Ground black pepper, for seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place carrots in baking dish. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper until evenly coated.

3. Bake for 45 minutes, until tender.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Carrots are very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium. 

Roasted Beet & Pecan Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

I have a bottle of sherry vinegar in the cabinet from when I made a seared tilapia with tomato vinaigrette recently, and so decided to make a sherry vinaigrette to go with my beet salad last night.  This dressing turned out really great, and went very well with the beets and pecans.  Homemade salad dressings are so easy to make, and I think they tend to taste a lot better than anything I can find in the store - you can't beat the flavor of freshly made dressing!  Making fresh dressing does require planning ahead because to get a good flavor, you have to let it sit and marinate for at least 4-6 hours.  But combining the ingredients just takes a few minutes!  I made this dressing and roasted the beets yesterday morning and just stored them in the refrigerator until dinner time when I assembled the salads - pretty easy! 

Roasted Beet & Pecan Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

Makes ~ 4 servings

Ingredients

1/3 cup sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

4 fresh beets 
2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small package organic spring mix lettuce
~ 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. To make salad dressing, combine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup olive oil in a salad dressing jar (or any jar with a lid). Shake vigorously to combine. Store in refrigerator for 4-6 hours to marinate before serving.

2. To roast beets, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel beets and cut stem-ends off. Cut into thin slices (about 1/8-1/4 inch thick) and place in center of large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Enclose beets in foil by making a pouch. Place in oven for 2-2 1/2 hours, or until soft.

3. To assemble salad, place 2 cups spring mix in bowl and top with beet slices and 2-3 Tbsp chopped pecans. Drizzle with sherry vinaigrette, to taste.

(Sherry vinaigrette recipe adapted from Foodnetwork.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this salad? Beets are high in folate, fiber, vitamins A,B and C, and minerals potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, and iron. The dark green leaf lettuces in spring mix are a great source of iron and vitamins A and C. Pecans are an excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids and phenolic antioxidants, vitamin E, B vitamins and minerals like manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and aid in blood sugar control. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Oregano is packed with antioxidants so is a great addition to any salad dressing or meal!

Spaghetti Squash Tacos

These tacos are a great vegetarian meal for the Fall, and something different from plain old vegetarian black bean tacos.  The chili powder, cumin and coriander give a great flavor to the squash without it tasting too spicy.  I roasted the squash in the morning to save myself some time later on, and you could even roast the squash the night before. Just pull it out of the fridge and toss it in the microwave for a minute to heat it up.

The recipe that I used suggested rinsing the seeds from the squash and roasting them with some chili powder and salt, so I did just that, and they turned out to be a pretty tasty little snack!

Spaghetti Squash Tacos

Makes ~ 10 tacos

Ingredients

1 large organic spaghetti squash
Juice of 1 lime (~2 Tbsp)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 package 6-inch whole wheat tortillas
1 (15oz) can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz queso fresco, crumbled or finely chopped (omit for a dairy free meal)
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half, lengthwise, and remove seeds. Grease a baking pan with canola oil and place squash-halves facing down on baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.

2. Scrape squash flesh with a fork, making strands, into a bowl and discard skin.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and salt. Pour over squash and gently toss together.

4. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Warm tortillas for 30 seconds per side in skillet. Place on platter.

5. Sprinkle each heated tortilla with 2 Tbsp of black beans, 2 Tbsp of squash mixture, 2 tsp queso fresco, and a couple pinches of onion and cilantro.

6. Serve with lime wedges and hot sauce and enjoy!

Roasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds

Ingredients

Seeds of one large spaghetti squash
Chili powder to taste
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Oil baking pan with canola oil and rinse seeds. Toss seeds with chili powder and salt and spread on pan. Roast for 10 minutes.

(Recipes adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Spaghetti squash is a good source of vitamin C and A and K, as well as B vitamins. Black beans are high in protein and fiber and are a significant source if iron, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese and B vitamins thiamin and folate. Red onions are rich in quercetin, a type of antioxidant, as well as vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, K, folate, thiamin, and minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese. Cilantro is packed with antioxidants and vitamins A and K. Whole wheat tortillas are less refined than flour tortillas, and contain more fiber, vitamins and minerals as a result. Cumin is a good source of iron and calcium. Coriander is also a good source of calcium.

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

I have been trying to branch out a bit with trying some new salads with quinoa and this one turned out to be really great! I knew I wouldn't have time in the evening to do much preparation for dinner, so I made this in the morning while our oatmeal was cooking for breakfast. It only took about 5 minutes to cut up the vegetables, and the rest was pretty simple! Then I just tossed it in the fridge to marinate until dinner time.  

This would be good as a light dinner, lunch or snack on its own, or is also a great side dish with burgers, grilled chicken or fish. 

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

2 cups organic quinoa, uncooked

4 cups water

Large bunch of asparagus

1 organic orange pepper

2 organic zucchini squash

2 cups grape tomatoes

3/4 cup olive oil, divided

2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp salt, divided

Black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Chop asparagus, pepper and zucchini into 1-inch pieces and combine in large mixing bowl with grape tomatoes

3. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil  and half of salt and pepper to bowl and mix until vegetables are evenly coated

4. Place in oven to roast for 20-25 minutes, until softened

5. While vegetables are roasting, bring water to a boil, add quinoa, and simmer  for 14 minutes. Strain quinoa to remove excess water

6. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining olive oil, salt and pepper as well as balsamic vinegar

7. Add vegetables and quinoa to dressing and mix until evenly combined

8. Serve at desired temperature (hot or cold - I think the flavor is best at room temperature) and enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from shrinkingkitchen.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this salad? Quinoa is a whole grain and is a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 essential amino acids. Quinoa is also a great source if fiber, iron, lysine, magnesium, riboflavin and manganese.   Asparagus is high in vitamin K and is also a great source of vitamin A, folate and iron. Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Zucchini is a good source of fiber and vitamins A, C and folate. Tomatoes are an excellent source of lycopene and vitamin C. Balsamic vinegar is rich in polyphenols - a type of antioxidant. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and aid in blood sugar control.

Baked Zucchini "Fries"

I am always looking for different things to do with vegetables for a quick and easy side dish.  These are a great substitution for potatoes, and go well with grilled chicken or fish, burgers, steak..pretty much anything!  And if you are  making these as a substitution for french fries, they are good dipped in a little ketchup. 

I like to make my own whole wheat bread crumbs because I have had a hard time finding pre-packaged bread crumbs that are dairy free, and I think the home-made ones taste a lot better too!

Baked Zucchini "Fries"

Ingredients

4 organic zucchini, quartered

2 slices whole wheat bread

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 organic eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Place wheat bread in toaster and toast on medium setting; bread should be toasted enough that it is no longer soft, but crisp. Let toast cool and then break into pieces in small food processor. Grind toast pieces into small bread crumbs.

3. In small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, garlic and olive oil

4. In separate bowl, beat eggs

5. Dip zucchini in egg and then roll in bread crumb mixture

6. Place breaded zucchini on un-greased baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown

7. Serve and enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from doortodoororganics.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of zucchini? zucchini is a good source of  fiber and vitamins A, C and folate.