Oven Roasted Romanesco

I  love when I see a new, interesting vegetable in the grocery store. I also consider it perfectly normal to drive to a town 40 minutes away so I can go to Wegmans (a fancy foodie grocery store in Upstate New York). So this Saturday, right when I entered the paradise that is Wegmans I saw a veggie I’ve been dying to try but have never seen in the grocery store I regularly go to: Romanesco. Heard of it?

It’s kind of a weird cross between broccoli and cauliflower. It just looks cool, so that means I had to get it. And I thought I’d share with you directions for roasting romanesco if it scares you! The cashier was stumped. This regularly happens to me with vegetables I buy. Things like spaghetti squash, plantains, kale…no matter what it is I feel like once a week I get a weird look and a “Um what is this?” from the grocery cashier. Does that happen to you? Moving on…

I decided to treat it just like I would cauliflower or broccoli- roast it! I love roasting veggies…. it brings such rich flavor and I can add whatever spices or fat I want.

For the romanesco,  I just cut it up like I would a regular cauliflower or broccoli and placed in a large roasting pan.

I poured over the top of it about 1/4 cup of coconut oil. You could use olive oil, butter, lard, etc.

I sprinkled with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then I roasted them in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until they got that nice golden brown roasted color on the top.

Yum! The taste was more like cauliflower with an almost lemony tang to it. You should definitely try roasting romanesco if you see it at your grocery store!

What weird vegetables do you love to eat?

What things stump your cashier?

Have you ever been to Wegmans?

WIAW: Easy Dinner Sides

I know that I really only do sporadic WIAW posts…however sometimes I end up with a bunch of pictures of food on my phone that I feel the need to awkwardly take…so might as well do something with them! If you haven’t checked out Jen’s blog yet- go now!  I don’t really have a full day of food to share, but looking through my pictures got me thinking about easy dinner sides that I frequently make.

Generally for dinner, I have a central “meat” and unless it’s a stir fry or curry, 2-3 sides I make to go along with it. I have a semi-picky husband…who so far I’ve really had to train in order to eat some veggies…but there are still some that he won’t eat. So therefore I generally have to make three sides for a dinner: one crossover one we’ll both eat and then another one for me and him respectively (not the most convenient thing but I love to cook so I don’t mind). It’s generally white potatoes or boxed mac and cheese I make for him and another veggie for me I make. Other sides include:

Sautéed or roasted cabbage

Roasted broccoli

Roasted cauliflower with cocoa and chili powder

Green beans with onions and garlic

Mashed cauliflower

Carrot Fries **we have these weekly!

Sweet potato rounds (or fries)

Roasted or steamed Brussels sprouts

Really the possibilities are endless. I never understand why people say they don’t like vegetables….obviously they’re doing it wrong! It never occurred to me to put recipes up for any of these since a lot are pretty simple but I guess looking at them now I will. Let me know if you have any questions about any of the sides until then!

What are your go-to dinner sides?

What creative ways do you like to cook vegetables? I put cinnamon on everything!!

WIAW: Supermarket-less week

Participate in What I ate Wednesday in order to justify a possibly abnormal obsession I have with taking pictures of my food? Don’t mind if I do!!

Yesterday my day centered around picking up our weekly CSA share at the local farm. Seems like a mundane activity for most but I was way too excited. I was also killing two birds with one stone and met the woman I get ground beef from at the farmer’s market to pick up 10lbs of grass fed ground beef for $60. Not a bad deal!

It was a beautiful summer day on the farm! The farm we have been getting our ground beef from gives it to us frozen. I was anticipating getting some fresh beef from the farm we get our chicken from (a different farm) but he told me his won’t be ready until December. That meant I had to grab more of the frozen stuff which is going to be a pain in the rear to move it all in a month when we move to our new house. But I didn’t want to get stuck in a meat-less situation. We still have one bird in the freezer but it will probably be the last for the year. Did you know that chicken and poultry is supposed to be only eaten in summer because it is a “cooling” meat and beef and other red meats are supposed to be eaten in winter because they are “warming” meats? This was obviously how things were before modern supermarkets and everything was seasonal. I learned that from Joel Salatin. Makes sense!

I hit the local food jackpot with the CSA and farmer’s market in addition to the ground beef! Is it sad that this was the highlight of my day and seriously made me so happy???

The haul included:

cabbage

zucchini

squash

lettuce

rainbow swiss chard

onions

potatoes

yellow beans

pastured eggs

ground beef

Pastured eggs are to die for. I will never ever go back. They are $3.50 a carton, which seems expensive but you are getting way more nutrition for your dollar. Supermarket eggs are essentially useless and tasteless. I don’t even consider them food, honestly.  The yolks of the eggs we get are indescribable. Rich, creamy, and bright orange.   Plus if you count eggs as a ‘protein’ they’re really rather cheap comparatively. That’s 4 servings of protein for under $4.

Last night for dinner I cooked up leftover butternut squash curry and turned it plus the delicious eggs into a quiche using shredded sweet potatoes as a crust. Beyond delicious. All I did for the crust was shred 3/4 of a huge sweet potato in the food processor, squeeze the water out and mix it with 2 tbsp of lard. I pressed it in the pie pan then pre-baked the crust for twenty minutes. Here is a recipe that I based my crust off of.  Then I put the leftovers in with 6 eggs and poured it into the pan and baked for another 45 minutes. Eating the leftovers for lunch in T minus 21 minutes.

 

So delicious! That’s all I have for now. All this local food shopping has made a trip to the supermarket this week unnecessary! I couldn’t be happier! Today I may try to go berry picking to take advantage of summer fruits while they are fresh and cheap to stock in the freezer.

Call me crazy, and our honeymoon was fun and everything, but this is seriously what I missed when we were at the mercy of an all inclusive resort for our food. Nothing makes me happier than cooking and eating food whose origin I am aware of.

What local food are you taking advantage of?

What do you get in your CSA these days?

5 ‘weird’ healthy foods you should eat

Through my experiences with healthy eating, and most recently trying to switch to a Paleo/Whole 30 diet, I have been trying and enjoying some really delicious fruits and veggies I had previously ignored. I definitely go through phases…once I find something I love I buy it incessantly…until I find a new obsession!

Most people don’t look twice if they see things like Twinkie, unnatural orange colored ‘cheese’ poofs, or boxed mashed potatoes on your plate. These things are completely processed, man made and contain little nutrients. Start showing up to lunch hour with a variety of fresh veggies, however, and you will elicit curios stares. People may even ask “What IS that stuff”??”

It’s unnerving to be singled  out for just trying to eat healthy and eating whole, nutritious, real food. And it’s weird that people think it’s weird. The more you eat processed, sugared-up junk the more your body gets used to it and makes you turn your nose up at less common fruits and veggies. But I realized as you start eating more and more whole natural foods your body learns to appreciate the natural flavors this food has to offer. Here are five you should add to your diet or at least give a try:

1. Rutabaga:

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I already blogged about my coconut rutabaga pancakes, but this potato-like veggie can be used for so much more! It has a subtle, crispy, carrot-like taste. As a root vegetable, you could use this for anything you would use a potato for: mashed or pureed, shredded as hash browns, or roasted with some herbs in the oven. It’s high in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and only has 50 calories per cup!!!

2. Plantains

I have recently fallen in love with this starchy fruit! It can be best described as a cross between a banana and potato. When green, plantains can be used as more of a potato substitute- boiled and mashed, roasted in the oven, or used as the ‘pasta’ element in a lasagna. Riper, brown or yellow plantains work well used more like a banana- caramelized in sugar and drizzled with chocolate.

I fried mine in coconut oil and dark chocolate balsamic vinegar for breakfast!

3. Kale

I’ve seen more and more kale popping up on blogs…so I know it’s becoming popular. It’s a leafy, bitter green that tastes amazing sautéed with garlic and onion. It’s very low in calories and also very high in calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron. It goes great with runny eggs as a breakfast or as a side for dinner! It can also be eaten raw, or made into a pesto. Try to buy organic whenever possible.

4. Parsnips

A cousin to the carrot, parsnips are another way to spice up your nightly veggies. Another root vegetable, they can be roasted in the oven with carrots, or pureed and used as a potato substitute. They’re high in fiber, potassium and magnesium.

5. Squash

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There are so many varieties of squash…..you’ll never get bored! Use spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute, butternut squash in place of potatoes or pasta, and zucchini, acorn or summer squash as a side dish to dinner. The possibilities are endless!

Butternut squash is my favorite because it’s so versatile. Favorites I’ve made are butternut squash fries, cinnamon and nutmeg crockpot mashed butternut squash, and butternut squash lasagna!

 

So put down the Twinkies and pick up one of these options next time you’re at the grocery store. The worst that can happen is you won’t like it! But I bet you’ll find at least one that makes a regular appearance on your plate.

Nutritional Info: Caloriecount.com

What weird healthy foods do you eat that prompt awkward stares from people around the lunch table?