Friday, October 3, 2008

Caribbean Roasted Vegetables


I know it's pretty shocking that I'm not posting a baked good. Sometimes I think about just changing my blog to only baking but there are some really yummy (and sometimes healthy) meals/dips/etc that I find and I want to share those too. Like this one. Practically every weekday for the last year, I took raw vegetables to work or school to eat as a snack. It took me a while but yes I got sick of them. This is what I've replaced them with. Roasted deliciousness. Usually I do sweet potatoes, carrots, rutabaga, beets and butternut squash. I've also used celery root (which I've always wanted to try) and yea maybe I just don't know how to cook it but that did not taste very good. I've tried a couple of different dressings (and done it with just a bit of oil too) but this one is the best so far. I was skeptical of the cinnamon and cloves but the dressing tastes so yummy.


When choosing vegetables for roasting, choose ones that are more sturdy. Broccoli and eggplant are definitely not sturdy (I tried those knowing what would happen but did it anyway). I've been roasting vegetables every week for the last month or so and have determined that I like to cook them at a lower temperature for a really long time (up to 3 hours if the pieces are a bit on the big side). It's really important that you cut the vegetables approximately all the same size (seems obvious but I'm usually not too concerned about this). We cook up a big batch on the weekend then eat it randomly throughout the week, with lunch or dinner.

This recipe comes from my new favourite cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. Not every recipe I've tried has been awesome but there have been some good ones. The reason I love it is because they're vegetarian (aside from the chapter on fish - what's with that), healthy and relatively easy and quick to make.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Balkan Roasted Vegetable Salad
Portabello Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto, Roasted Peppers & Romano Cheese

Caribbean Roasted Vegetables
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

12-15 cups of chopped vegetables (could be a butternut squash, a sweet potato, a few beets, a few carrots, and a rutabaga)

Dressing:
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced

Puree the dressing ingredients in a food processor.

Prepare the vegetables and two baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix the vegetables with the dressing in a large bowl or pot. Spread them out evenly on the baking sheets. Bake for about 2 hours or longer, depending on how roasted you want them to be. Flip the vegetables a few times (definitely check them at the 1 hour mark to make sure they're doing okay) and if you want move the sheets as well in the oven.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

These look so good! I love vegetables but sometimes run short of creativity when it comes to preparing them. I'll have to keep this recipe in mind!

Anonymous said...

What a great way to roast veggies--also one of my favorite dishes! The spice mix sounds delicious (so we'll forgive the non-baking post! ;) )

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

No worries about not posting a baked good - I'm totally mesmerized by the roasted vegetables!! Yum!!

Amy said...

Mmmmm I LOVE roasted veggies and these sound amazing! I haven't had roasted veggies in SO long (due to a sucky oven *sad* but maybe I could try out the lower temp and longer cooking thing, that might work!)

Usha said...

This looks healthy and delicious...loved the combination of veggies you used :)

Snooky doodle said...

These look good. And are a healthy alternative to fried veggies. I must try these . Thanks for the fantastic recipe :)

Beth (jamandcream) said...

This looks just up my street. Have bookmarked this one to try

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Those do sound gorgeous and yes, I was a little shocked when I saw what your post was about. The universe shifted for a second! Definitely worth it though. Yum :P

Katrina said...

I LOVE veggies like this, especially squash and sweet potatoes. Gonna have to try this! Thanks. It looks so good.

Anonymous said...

I've never tried roasted beets or rutabaga before. I love pickled beets, so I'm sure roasted is just as good... or better. And let me just say that your photography is amazing. I practically drool over the pictures you post.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I made a nice roasted vegetable dish this week also and did not blog about it. I'm a bit like you, I usually blog about sweets.

Unknown said...

a perfect side dish... :)

Deborah said...

As much as I like sweets, I also like to see the other food as well! and this sounds delicious. I have roasted potatoes all of the time, and this would be a great way to switch it up!

Anonymous said...

These look just as good as any of your baked good, so no worries. I wish I had some of these right now, I love roasted veggies!

Elizabeth said...

Yum! Those look really good. What a nice/creative way to make vegetables more interesting and tasty.

kickpleat said...

yum! i love roasted vegetables and i've got that book too! i love the moosewood books, but most of them have a chapter on fish!

Cookie baker Lynn said...

This looks like a wonderful, flavorful combo. Great way to get in the veggies!

giz said...

It doesn't get much better than the intense flavour from the roasting and what a great combo.

The Food Librarian said...

I love roasted veggies. The dressing looks perfect. I just love the roasted yellow beet - it's like candy!

Fitness Foodie said...

Great flavors on the veggies.

Anonymous said...

I love roasted vegetables and I make them quite often too. I normally just use a couple of spices. I'll have to try the dressing, it sounds delicious. Thanks!

CookingCourtney said...

YUM! Theres nothing better then island flavors!

Anna said...

I'm exactly the same - I mostly post sweets but I wouldn't like to completely reject savouries. I find I get a lot less comments on savoury posts though =[ but sadly can't afford to bake the whole time, haha.

I ADORE roasted veg (probably more than a young girl should); I love the colours and combination of veggies in this!

PG said...

I like the sounds of the dressing. Very nice! One question - do you use two cookie/baking sheets to spread out the veggies onto two sheets or do you double up the sheet to prevent burning?

eatme_delicious said...

psychgrad: I spread out the veggies on 2 sheets. They would be piled up really high if I only used one!

winedeb said...

Fall is the best time for roasted veggies and this one really fits the bill. I have been thinking about purchasing that cookbook and now you have made up my mind!

Anonymous said...

Actually I really enjoy roasting broccoli and cauliflower--when the edges get a little carmelized and crispy--yum!

Johanna GGG said...

no - please don't give up posting savoury recipes - you have some good ones! this one for example - I agree the the spices seem a little odd but would like to try it anyway - love roasting vegies and love discovering new sauces - maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and two of my fave flavours to roast vegies in - and like angie I love broccoli and cauli roasted - even brussell sprouts are great (and roasted veg with pasta makes a great meal)

Unknown said...

Roasted broccoli and cauliflower are delicious! Perhaps they just can't roast as long as your sturdier veggies? :)

This dressing looks intriguing! I'll have to see if my daughters will like it.

Shelby said...

These look so good! Thanks for visiting my blog! :)

Anonymous said...

My mom asked me to make roasted veggies for dinner tonight, since we're having company. I just mixed up the sauce and coated the veggies, which are patiently waiting to go into the oven now. It smells DELICIOUS. I think these are going to be a hit. Thanks for some awesome veggie recipes!

eatme_delicious said...

Lauren: Hope they turned out well. =)

Clare and Gary said...

I was just looking through your sweet potato recipes as I have four in the fridge that need to be dealt with and I think I'll try these, better than just the original roast...you mentioned the celery root. When I was in England I would boil as if a potato and then handblend with a knob of butter and some olive oil. It's a great low carb alternative to mashed potato!

eatme_delicious said...

Clare and Gary: Hope you like it! =) Thanks for the suggestion about the celery root. I should try that.

Anonymous said...

Very nicce!

Unknown said...

This looks like something I could eat every day! It's very holiday-ish, and even though they have passed, I still want to make them!