Last night's dinner: Frozen Grocery Store Pizza
Tonight's dinner: Roasted vegetables (beets, parsnips, turnips, carrots, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts - roasted with parsley, rosemary and thyme from my back yard) and store-bought sesame baked tofu.
Which dinner should I have more often? Hmmmmm?
The star of my night, though, was the Roasted Kale. I have never eaten Kale before. Got the recipe from Persephone's awesome blog. It was SO INCREDIBLY GOOD it deserves those capital letters. I can't tell you how EXCITED I am about how DELICIOUS it was. Mmmmmmm...kale. I am going to cook it every week. It is a beautiful dark green color so you know it has to be good for you.
I did not get a picture of it cooked because I ate it all up immediately. But there it is raw, sitting next to what I think is a turnip.
I also got the roasted vegetable idea from Persephone's blog. Cooked it for my sister's family while I was home for the holidays and they all loved it. I wouldn't look twice at turnips, brussel sprouts or beets (yuck!) before, but everything tastes great when you roast it with olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh herbs. Really. I promise. (Even the beets.)
Thank you Persephone!
7 comments:
Both recipes sound delicious! I've been looking for more veggie recipes. Thanks for the link to Persephone's blog. And I bet those fresh herbs from your backyard made the dish ten times better - yum! You've reminded me to start an herb garden this year.
I love roasted vegetables and will have to try adding the beets to mine! I like kale, but have never roasted it, will have to visit Persephone's blog. Thank you!
Yum, that all looks so delicious. I need to try the roasted Kale too. I love Kale, but mostly give it to the rabbits. Great pics.
Yes to more veggies and fresh herb from your back yard? VERY impressive!!!!
Beets make me throw up....Thanks Kathy
Hi Kathy!
Thanks for coming clean a few weeks ago and thanks for the props! It is so cool to see how far these blogs travel. It gives me such pleasure to learn that you are eating and enjoying more vegetables. Really, no joke.
:) Persephone
I loooove beets. Hated them when I was a kid. How did I discover that I loooove beets? I roasted them. And you are so right that pretty much any vegetable, when roasted at high heat, is surprisingly delicious. I guess many of us are surprised because we grew up being served frozen or canned vegetables, boiled until they were limp. The only flavor remaining was usually bitter or off in some way. When you roast a vegetable (and I'm talking broccoli, cauliflower, brussell's sprouts, you name it) they carmelize and develop sweet, deep and highly satisfying flavors. Your use of the fresh herbs was another great move. I also highly recommend kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Throw in some garlic clovers. Squeeze them on your bread. Vegie haters must be very entrenched in their hatred not to enjoy them prepared like this. I guess they may be super tasters (have you read about them?). That doesn't mean they have better taste than the rest of us, it just means that they may have more taste buds and prefer bland food. Super tasters actually make horrible food or wine critics. Children may be super tasters. But most vegie haters really still like spicy, sweet and salty stuff. I think they're just stuck in their childhood predudices about vegetables.
OK. I apologize for writing so much. Just want you to know that I have been following your blog for a while now and think you are the best. I guess I'm a long time reader, first time commenter. I prefer mostly to lurk and keep my head down, so to speak. Anyway, since I can get a little overwrought about vegetables these pictures of yours and your descriptions motivated me to comment (which maybe you regret now). What I want to say really, is that whether you are writing about your experiences with foster kids, or your battles with the mundane and crazy events of your life, you are always insightful, sensitive, funny and humane. I really enjoy getting to know you and seeing the world through your eyes. I guess that's enough, huh? Don't want to make you blush. But, one more thing...you're also an excellent writer.
OK. To end this ridiculously lengthy thing, I just have to say that I prepared a braised brussel's sprouts recipe recently that was knock your socks off excellent. Of course it had pancetta in it, so I have to give tribute to pork products as adding to the pleasure factor. Much as I love vegetables I am no vegetarian. Anyway, the sprouts are pulled apart like little cabages and braised with onion, celery, carrot (aka mirepoix I learned) and pancetta. Finish it with a dash of white wine vinegar. Gooood stuff.
Thanks again for blogging. I look forward to reading more.
David, Thanks so much for the wonderful comment! I'm happy with any comments people want to make - long or short - or no comments - I'm perfectly fine with people who like to read but don't comment. I do that myself on some blogs.
I think I now might have about an equal number of readers who I don't know in real life - not just my family and friends. It is really flattering when strangers are interested in what I have to say. So thank you!
I've never heard of super tasters...interesting (doesn't seem very super though...only liking bland food.) And those brussel sprouts sound pretty great.
Thanks for reading!
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