Roasted Harvest Vegetable Medley

Someone asked me recently how I roasted the vegetables for a dinner and I laughed.  I thought everyone knew how to roast root  vegetables to make a sweet and savory side dish,  so I decided to share this one.  This is a very flexible dish for fall or winter and most of the ingredients can be gathered at a local farmer's market.  You can switch up the veggies and select whatever is available (focus on root vegetables).  If you end up with more cut vegetables than what the recipe requires just add some extra olive oil and herbs (the herbs and garlic are key).  Keep in mind that the Brussels sprouts and potatoes are the most dense and will take longer to cook, therefore make sure those are cut to an appropriate size.

Serves about 8

1 lb small Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

1 small butternut squash, halved, cut into chunks (1 1/2 lb)

1 head cauliflower, separated into 2 inch florets (1 lb)

4 medium leeks, white parts only, trimmed and quartered lengthwise

1/2 lb baby carrots

1/2 lb parsnips, peeled and cut to about the same size as the baby carrots

24 cloves garlic, peeled (2 heads), plus 3 garlic cloves minced (1 Tbs) divided

1 Tbs chopped fresh sage, plus 24 leaves, divided

1 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary

2 red bell peppers, in chunks

Adjust oven rack so it is close to the heat source.  Preheat oven to 450 deg.  Bring saucepan of water to a boil.  Add Brussels sprouts and cook 3 minutes, or until bright green.  Drain, rinse under cold water, then pat dry.

Toss squash, cauliflower, potatoes, leeks, carrots, parsnips, garlic cloves, 3 Tbs. olive oil, chopped sage, sage leaves, and rosemary in large roasting pan.  Season with salt and pepper and spread into single layer.  Roast 25 minutes, tossing vegetables twice.  Add bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, minced garlic, and remaining 1 Tbs oil.  Roast 15 minutes more, or until vegetables are browned on edges and tender.

If you have a lot of leftover you can also make a soup.  Just take vegetable stock, add the leftover vegetables and puree.

Colorful Raw Kale Salad with Sweet Root Vegetables

I made this salad for the NYC Marathon party we threw last weekend.  There was some discussion in my household about my planned menu that led me to question my choice of kale for a salad for a moment, but I stuck with my gut feeling that this one would be tasty.  If you are not familiar with preparing kale, don’t fret, this salad is raw, pleasing to the eyes, and was the most talked about dish at the party.  In a good way!  Although the recipe did not suggest preparing ahead of time, I made the salad the night before and allowed the lemon juice to tenderize and mellow the flavor of the kale.  Makes a great salad to bring to holiday parties- colorful, healthy, flavorful and filling.

Choose the tender, long-leafed Lacinato kale if available, but any variety will do as long as you cut very thin strips and give the greens a thorough rubdown with the salt, vinegar, and oil mixture.  Be sure to strip the leaves from the thick stalk and discard the stalks.  The suggested root vegetables can be substituted.  For instance I made this with turnip, beets and parsnips, which added both a sweetness and great color.  You can also save time by using the shredding blade of a food processor instead of grating the root vegetables.

Serves 8 as a side dish

Salad

2-12oz bunches of kale, stems removed, leaves cut into thin strips of chiffonade (too much is better than too little)

2 Tbsp. Olive oil or Flax oil

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 ½ tsp sea salt, divided

1-cup whole pecans (or more)

¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp Canola oil

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 medium turnip, peeled and grated (1 cup)

½ medium rutabaga, peeled and grated (1 cup)

1 medium carrot, grated (1/2 cup)

2 green onions, cut thin on diagonal

Dressing

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil or Flax oil

1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp agave nectar or honey

Place well-drained kale in a large bowl and pour olive oil, vinegar and 1tsp salt over the top.  Gently massage the mixture into kale about 2-3 minutes by hand, or until kale starts to wilt.

Stir turnip, rutabaga, carrot, and green onions into kale mixture

Whisk together lemon juice, oil, soy sauce, and agave nectar in bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

My suggestion is to add the salad dressing to the salad and allow to sit about 8 hours, but if you are pressed for time you can dress the salad about 30 minutes before serving.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss together pecans, maple syrup, canola oil, remaining ½ tsp salt, and cayenne in a medium bowl.  Spread nut mixture in single layer on prepared baking sheet; bake 8-10 minutes, or until pecans are brown and fragrant, stirring frequently.  Cool in pan.  Add the pecans just prior to serving the salad.

Adapted from vegetarian times magazine

North Woods Bean Soup

This is a great fall or winter soup from cooking light and only takes about a 1/2 hour to make.  It's very hearty and makes for a light dinner or lunch.  I used an organic andouille chicken/turkey sausage because I wanted some spice.  So choose a sausage that will provide the extra flavor you are craving.   I always like adding more veggies.  You can easily double up on the carrots and spinach.  You can also add leftover cooked grains and veggies.  Serve with a salad to make a complete meal. Yields 5-  1 1/2 cup servings

1 T olive oil

1 cup baby carrots, halved

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

32 ounces organic, fat-free, sodium free chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 (15.8oz) cans organic great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 (6 ounce) bag fresh baby spinach leaves

Heat a large saucepan in olive oil and cook over medium heat.  Add carrots, onion, garlic and kielbasa; saute 3 minutes.  stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and cook 5 more minutes.  Add the broth, Italian seasoning, pepper, and beans.  Bring temp up to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Place 2 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.  Return to pureed mixture to pan.  Simmer an additional 5 minutes.  Remove soup from heat.  Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.  If you plan to have leftovers, add the spinach when you reheat the soup, not when you make it.

Calories 227; fat 3.9g (sag 1.2g, mono 1.3g, poly 1.2g); protein 18.1g; cholesterol 26mg; calcium 112mg; sodium 750mg; fiber 6.7g; iron 3.5mg; carbohydrate 30.8g

Easy Light Day with a Delicious Ending

I woke up feeling pretty energized and looking forward to seeing clients, one of which has been away for about 10 days.  At 8am i had an hour break so went off again to have my breakfast.  I packed my usual chocolate shake combo in a tupperwear and this time with cocoa nubs again plus some dried cranberries.  For some reason I didn't think that was enough and indulged in a poppy seed muffin as well.  I like geting out of the gym for a break but need to find a little something extra to add to my breakfast that isn't so "baked". Around 11:30 I went for my run.  My energy is OK, not as good as yesterday.  Today is an easy 5 mile run up the east side.  Have not run this route in a long time, very flat and as i remembered it the air quality is worse then on west side.  I think the air quality is worse here because there tends to be lesss wind on the East river compared to the Hudson.  But wasn't too bothered by it becaus it's a beautiful sunny day, about 60 degrees out and although the run felt fine was anxious to get on with my day and not focusing on the run, but hey it's just an easy run.  Heart rate stayed pretty low at 150bpm throught much of the run.  Did a short warm up then did a main set of 4.45 miles at 8:42 pace (goal was 9:00) and AV hr 152.  Found it annoying that GPS was lost while i was running underneith the FDR.  Had to run on the sidewalk on the other side of the road instead of along the river to get a connection.

I had a good afternoon working on the computer and on a training call for awhile.  Had another shake at 2:00.  Was hungry at that point, but energy was still good.  Had to leave for a bit while our realator showed the apartment and then went down to the gym in my building for a quick workout.  Im not ffeling motivated at all to do weights and figure an energy boost would help so had 2 Isa Delight Chocolates and two glasses of water.  The weight training session was not too energetic.  My mind is on all the work I didn't get done today and on getting on with dinner as David will be home tonight.  Short workout in basement was rushed to start dinner.  For 30 minutes I  did  back and shoulders in supersets.  3 exercises each and 1 extra for shoulders.  Rep range was 12-15 and light intensity.  No time for yoga today, so will put more focus on that tomorrow.

For dinner we had some leftovers but I added some wild rice.  It was chicken and asparagus in a creamy sauce topped with a little gryuere.   I get so bored with chicken, but this one is saucy yet still very low in calories.  Total calories was probably around 500 including the rice, low in fat, moderate carbs and high in protein.  Unfortunately I made the mistake of picking up dessert again, so looks like I'm committed to eating a pumpkn spice cake with David this evening.

Trout over Lentils and Spinach

I adapted this recipe a bit which i got from cooking light magazine.  I think the dish is served best warm (not hot) but chiled is ok also.  You can serve it over any bed of greens but i liked the baby spinach.  You don't have to use trout either, any mild to medium flavored flaky fish will work well.  I made it the first night with orange roughy and then also purchased some smoked trout so i could have something later in the week that would be fresh.  I also choose to use less lentils and more vegetables. Serves 4

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup chopped leek

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dried lentils

1/2 cup water

1 14oz can fat free low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped celery (or crunchy sprouts)

1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1 tablespoon sheffy vinegar (or braggs apple cider vinegar)

3/4 teaspoon sald, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 (6-8 oz) trout fillets or flaky white fish of your choice

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Ad leek, carrot, and garlic, saute 2 minutes.  Stir in lentils, water, and broth, bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils are tender and liquid is nearly absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Add celery, parsley, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to lentil miture, stirring to combine.

Preheat brooiler.  Sprinkle trout with remainina 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Place fish on a baking sheet or shallow glass dish coated with cooking spray, broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.  Break fish into chunks.

Line plates with greens, top with warm lentil mixture and flaked fish.

calories 311 (18% form fat);  Fat 6.2g (sat 1.6g, moono 2.2g, poly 1.9g); Protein 32.8g; carbs 31.3g; fiber 15.2g; chol 50mg; iron 5mg; sodium 668mg; calc 96mg.