Vegetables - Cooked My Way!

I love roasted vegetables, I could eat roasted veggies every night and just change the sauce...cheese, balsamic, guacamole, tomato...

You can use whatever you have available and make a few adjustments for different textures and types.

What I use;

• Parboiled fingerling potatoes - you can use any type of potatoes, just make sure they are chopped into half inch cubes and either parboiled or microwaved so when you squeeze the whole potato it gives a little and not rock-hard
• Parsnips (no precooking required if cut into half inch cubes)
• Small onions or shallots, peeled - large onions can be quartered
• Broccoli florets
• Cauliflower florets
• Sliced peppers (larger 1 inch chunks work best)
• Zucchini.Courgettes (cut into 1 inch slices)
• Diced beets

Heat the oven to 350 F.  I have seen some recipes that suggest 400 F - I have found this is too hot and tends to blacken the vegetables before they are fully roasted and cooked through.

Spread vegetables on a large baking sheet and drizzle with grape seed oil.  I use grape seed oil (instead of olive oil) because it is more stable at higher temperatures and doesn't provide any taste.  After I have added oil I massage the vegetables to make sure they are fully coated.  Make sure the broccoli and cauliflower are well oiled as they may become too crispy or burn.

Before adding to the oven I sprinkle with freshly ground sea salt (I generally use Celtic salt).
Place in the middle of the oven and check after 20 minutes - at this time I shake the tray and turn the vegetables, if needed.  Leave for another 20 minutes (for a total of 40 minutes in the oven).

Remove from the oven and server as a side or as a Meatless Monday treat with yummy dipping sauces!

You don't have to be a Celiac to benefit from avoiding gluten and wheat

Great article in the Wall Street Journal Today Clues To Gluten Sensitivity  I guess I'm not so special after all :-)

I tested negative for Celiac disease, but;

• I generally feel so much better when I avoid wheat and gluten
• I don't ache so much after I work out,  if I don't eat gluten
• The dark rings under my eyes are lighter when I'm gluten and wheat free
• My lungs feel better (I can take deeper breathes) without gluten and wheat in my system
• I don't suffer so badly from seasonal allergies, in fact I don't need any medication if I avoid wheat and gluten
• That phlemy-thing at the back of my throat goes away when wheat and gluten are removed from my diet.  It returns with a vengeance when I fall off the gluten and wheat-free wagon.

I was diagnosed with a form of IBS in my 20s, and suffered on and off with stomach acid and mild ulcers.  During the mid 80's I was told to calm down and relax, nothing more. My friend told me to stop eating fiber. This actually helped because I avoided a lot of whole wheat bread and ate Rice Krispies for breakfast!

My dad's side of the family have acidic stomachs, and my grandfather died of stomach cancer (probably related to stomach ulcers and a life-time of stomach acid-related problems).  Since avoiding wheat and gluten, my symptoms have subsided; I wonder if that would have helped my father and grandfather?

A few other thoughts...

• It is common for women to have bloating, gas, constipation...could it be due to wheat?
• Many people complain about increasing aches and pains as they grow older...could it, in part, be due to acquiring a wheat intollerance?
• Similarly some people notice developing dark circles under their eyes or develop allergies in their 30s when they were allergy-free as juveniles....wheat allergy?

There are definitely smoke signals ...I'm happy to see people are gathering more data.

Red Chard & White Bean Ragout

Red Chard a photo by mandymooo on Flickr.

The fridge was full of huge green leafy red chard, the vegetable draw was full of parsnips...the potatoes were thinking of sprouting...I was about to have a kitchen emergency!!!!

I wanted more than a ratatouille style stew so I did some recipe searches to get some ideas and came up with this. I'm posting here so I remember what I did, because I'll definitely make it again. The significant other ate two bowls and said he wanted leftovers for lunch the next day, so I think it came out okay.  It needs a topping such as cheese, Daiya shreds or nutritional yeast flakes, and if you're not vegetarian some small peices of ham or bacon might be nice.

Ingredients needed 

•  Large bunch of red chard (about 8-10 leaves), red stalks removed from green leaves
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• Olive oil
• I large potato
• 1 small yam or sweet potato
• 2 parsnips (or large carrots) 

*You need a total of about 1 lb potato/yam/parsnip mix*

• 1 tbsp Herbs De Provence (or your favorite herb mixture)
• 1 can of white beans (I used cannellini)
• 1 can of chopped Roma tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

How to cook it
Chop the onion and slice the red chard stalks into 1/2 inch pieces (mine were 1 cm, 'cause I'm from the UK, smirk) and saute in a heavy iron skillet for 3-5 minutes in olive oil (save the chard leaves for later in the recipe).  Add the chopped garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, stir frequently so the onion and and garlic does not become too brown. The redness from the chard stalks will make the onion a nice pink color.

Add the chopped potato, yam and parsnips.  Add 1 cup of water, the drained beans and can of tomatoes.  Mix well and add Herbs de Provence, cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes and parsnips are tender but not mushy.

Taste and season if needed.  Add the chopped chard leaves and cook for another 15 minutes until the leaves are tender.

Serve in bowls and top with your favorite cheese or cheese replacement. Serve with crunchy bread, crackers or chips.  The beans and potatoes make it quite hearty, the chard and tomatoes make you feel good about what you're eating.

I had this with a glass of Cabernet/Merlot-blend red wine and they went very well together.

This makes enough for 4 servings, or in our case, dinner for 2 and lunch for 2 the next day!