As I fantasize about once again eating food I can chew as opposed to this liquid / soft food diet, I thought I would share one of my favorite easy go-to dinners (and probably reveal just how uninformed and unskilled I am in the kitchen).
For the most part, the last thing I want to do after a long day at work is cook something. However, I regularly forget this fact and stock up on all sorts of vegetables with the best of intentions. So when I get home from work without even the slightest desire to cook a proper “recipe”, it’s hard to come up with something that is fast, easy, and incorporates the veggies that are growing older by the day in the refrigerator.
Recently, my BFF Katie came to visit. She is quite the cook and insisted on making dinner for my husband and me – she said she just couldn’t go three days without cooking. Be my guest!! Katie simply tossed a bunch of tomatoes, garlic, onions and other veg with olive oil, roasted it in the oven, and then mixed it with pasta for a meal. Brilliant!
Have some broccoli? Don't know what to do with it? Roast it!
Since her visit, I roast as much as possible. It is particularly useful as my husband isn’t a vegan, so this provides the base of our meals and lets us separately cook a protein side to accompany the dinner (fish or beef for him, tempeh / seitan / tofu for me). Depending on the time, I set the oven anywhere from 400-450, throw everything together, keep it in there for 30-60 minutes (or even longer) stirring once or twice. I’ve included broccoli, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic (LOTS of garlic!!), carrots, squash, peppers and even a can of garbanzo beans. A little olive oil, some salt and pepper (and any fresh herbs that are lying around). Done. (check out a recent meal prep at The Miracle of Roasting photo gallery)
Clearly, I am not what one would call gifted / adventurous / happy in the kitchen. Cooking is just not my thing – it stresses me out, and I’m not good at it, plain and simple. But this has been such an easy solution and it’s hard to mess it up – and it’s a nice alternative to takeout.