In the Kitchen with Kim

My romance with Roasting vegetables started with the help of one person... Ina Garten.  You may know her better as the Barefoot Contessa, but she truly opened my eyes to the convenience and ease of cooking in your oven.  Little known fact, baking and roasting is doing the exact same thing, the culinary world just assigned different terms to cooking sweet and savory items.  You can go ahead and say you are "roasting a cake" and you would not be incorrect.

An easy way to go is to just pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  Chop your preferred vegetable into similar size pieces and then throw them onto a lighlty oiled sheet with salt, pepper and more oil.  Throw it in for 15-20 minutes to start and then taste one.  Add or subtract time to your preferred taste and density of veg.  If you usually do not like a certain vegetable try it roasted, its usually much sweeter with a more tender texture.  It's like me on my best days, brushed, showered and properly dressed!  The best version of myself. 

What is also fantastic is its cooking without any extra attention from you.  Focus on the stove top or just sit in front of the TV while your roasting away.

Once you get the hang of it, go crazy add parmesan cheese, herbs, spices and feel free to finish with more cheese, breadcrumbs, and fresh herbs and lemon juice...

I have roasted and suggest the following:

Eggplant
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower (totally different taste, great with melted cheese)
Onions
Potatoes (White & Sweet)
Kale
Carrots
Asparagus
Zucchini
Butternut Squash
Tomatoes (this one is especially awesome, the sweetness is incredible)


Super Easy & Fast Dinner Ideas:

Greek Pizza
From Fresh & Easy or Trader Joes Pick up
1 refrigerated whole wheat pizza dough
1 pkg of your favorite hummus (I used Jalepeno)
1 pkg of broccolini (baby broccoli)
1 pkg of baby carrots (use a handful chopped)
1 can of chunk white tuna
Other great add ons: olives, feta

Spread out pizza dough on sheet pan or pizza sheet.  Top with your favorite hummus, chopped broccolini, chopped carrots and tuna.  Bake according to directions then finish it off with some red pepper and fresh lemon juice.

Honey Dijon Roasted Salmon & Parmesan Asparagus
2 salmon filets
bunch of asparagus (woody stems removed)
fresh lemon
grated parmesan (the real stuff not from green can) pre-finely shredded is fine (you can find in any grocery store)
couple tablespoons of dijion mustard
couple squeezes of honey
handful of breadcrumbs or panko

Pre-heat over to 400 degrees.  On a lighlty oiled baking sheet put aspargus on one side and salmon filets on other.  Mix the honey and diijon mustard, then spread on top of salmon filets.  Sprinkle filets with breadcrumbs.  On asparagus toss with a little bit of oil and and parmesan.  Put in oven and roast for 15 minutes or so.  When you take it out sqeeze fresh lemon juice on the salmon and the asparagus.  Top asparagus with a little more fresh parmesan.  Plate and Enjoy!!