Roasted Vegetables: Part II

Um, I just realized that tomatoes aren’t even a vegetable.

I mean, I’ve known this. But in the context of this post, I just remembered again. oops? So much for roasted vegetables, huh? How about we just continue on like I never mentioned it and pretend that the title of this post is actually “Let’s Roast Things, Because They’re Awesome”. Or something like that.

Okay, cool. Now that we’ve covered those supremely important details, let’s move on to something slightly more interesting: MORE ROASTED VEGGIES (…and fruit. ugh)!

You guys, I’m seriously obsessed. I practically refuse to eat a vegetable these days unless it’s been roasted. Does that make me a vegetable snob? If so, I don’t ever NOT want to be a snob.

(of vegetables, that is)

Allllll that being said, let’s just move on, shall we? I’m even boring myself.

On today’s menu we have tomatoes, cauliflower & green beans. And without further ado: the main event(s)!

Roasted Tomatoes

First up: tomatoes. The vegetable that’s not even a vegetable at all! For almost twenty-six years, I lived in naivety, not having a clue how mind-blowingly awesome roasted tomatoes are. I was definitely a tomato-liker, but roasted tomatoes have made a lover out of me. There is so much depth to their flavor, and so much versatility: in a salad, on your pizza, as a ‘sauce’ to your pasta – the options are endless (and delicious)! They take a dish you’d normally make with regular old tomatoes and bring it to the next level. Bonus: they remind me of summer, no matter what time of year I make them!

My favorite kind of tomatoes to roast are grape, but feel free to use your favorite variety. Just keep in mind as you’re slicing them up that the size of your tomatoes will alter the roasting time. A word of advice: keep an eye on those things, especially the first few times you make them.

And we’re off! Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and pull out a few cookie sheets (no need to grease them). Rinse your tomatoes (as many or as few as you want) and pat dry, then slice them up as desired. Sometimes I leave my grape tomatoes whole, but most often cut them at least in half.

Put the tomatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt & pepper (those suckers tend to roll all over if you oil & season them directly in the cookie sheet). Option: add some minced garlic and basil. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to wilt and wrinkle. Delish!

Roasted Cauliflower

This happened on a whim a few months ago. We had some cauliflower in the fridge that was nearing the end of its shelf life and – since we were on a roasting kick (are we ever not?) – decided to try it out. My oh my… there are no words. Actually, I have one for you: addicting. Much like my obsession with asparagus, I have no qualms with roasting and eating a whole head of cauliflower by myself. But I mean, there are worse things, right?

Same game: preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and grab a cookie sheet. Using whatever method you find most efficient (and less likely to accidentally slice a finger off), break off your cauliflower into smaller pieces. I haven’t yet mastered the art of deconstructing a head of cauliflower, so please pass along any tricks you know! Seriously, I’m desperate.

Toss the cauliflower on your cookie sheet; drizzle with oil and then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Option: add minced garlic and/or juice from half a lemon. Roast for 25 – 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower reaches a desired level of crispiness.

Final step: devour.

Roasted Green Beans

I normally saute my green beans on the stove top with some olive oil, garlic and a little bit of basil & thyme, so this was more of an experiment than anything else – and I have to say, I think it was a success! These days, I’m SO into food that has been burnt within an inch of its life has a lot of texture, so these roasted green beans definitely hit the spot.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and pull out a cookie sheet. Rinse the green beans, pat them dry, and trim the ends. Toss them on your cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper, to taste. Option: add some minced garlic, basil & thyme, and a squirt of lemon juice.

Roast for 20 – 25 minutes or until the green beans are wilting and starting to brown.

Maybe one day I’ll get sick of showing you photos of every damn vegetable that I roast. Maybe one day I’ll actually make something interesting to share with you!

Until then, you know where to find me: in the kitchen roasting veggies, all day e’ryday.