Pan Roasted Root Vegetables

I love to cook ahead. This summer when it was ridiculously hot outside, I tried as much as possible to make things far ahead and then stick them in the fridge to re-heat or eat cold later. These vegetables are not only really good for you, but they are delicious and versatile. You can eat them as a side but one of my favourite things is to toss them in a salad with quinoa or millet and then pile the works on some fresh spinach and arugula mix. Don't worry, that recipe is coming too!

You can play around with this recipe as much as you want, but the method is much the same. Reduce or increase the veggies as much as you want, omit the ones you don't like altogether, it's all up to you. Rosemary can be substituted with thyme, you could try seasoned salt if you wish, or fresh cracked pepper. I find that the beets tend to cook slower than anything else so when you cut them into small wedges or moons, try doing them fairly thin.

If you think your kids will never eat this, I challenge you to get them involved in the prep (except peeling purple beets, maybe-unless you have a hose nearby). In my experience cooking with kids,  they will often say they hate things but when faced with a roasted, slightly caramelized vegetable, they can't resist. It's all in how you cook those vegetables, folks. You will be surprised. Trust me. Get them to help stir the veg in some oil and arrange them on the pan. Be careful, though. Once those kids zero in on a favourite vegetable you may not get to eat any.

Yield: around 10 cups of vegetables

 Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
4 carrots
3-4 parsnips
2 medium purple beets
2 medium golden beats
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

2 springs fresh rosemary
3 Tbsp light olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Toss the Yukon gold potatoes with 2 tsp of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a good pinch of minced rosemary. Spread them on the baking sheet.


3. Toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tsp of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a good pinch of minced rosemary. Spread on the baking sheet beside the Yukon golds.

4. Continue with the other veggies in the same manner-tossing with oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary and spreading on the sheet. The reason I don't mix them all together is that sometimes the veggies are finished at different times, and this  makes it easier to remove some from the pan early if I need to. Also, because those purple beets will change the color of everything if you toss them all together.


5. Bake the veg for about 35-50 minutes, checking frequently, until fork tender and lightly browned. Some may be finished ahead of others, and because you've divided the vegetables into rows it will be easier to scoop say, all the parsnips off the pan and let the beets cook longer.

6. Let the vegetables cool on the stove top before serving, or cool to room temperature before putting in a sealed container in the fridge. The vegetables will keep for about 4 days and you can use them as a side, toss them in salads, etc.



Inspired by Eating Well 

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Jamie Oliver's Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese

One of the first episodes of Save With Jamie I watched had him making a broccoli and cauliflower casserole with a cheese sauce. I've had this before as a side dish, but not that often and certainly nothing like this one. Apparently in the UK, this type of dish is fairly popular. Who knew? Jamie's recipe has a sauce that has cheese flavour, but isn't drowning in the stuff. There's also some broccoli blended right in and a nice nutty crouton topping. The first time I made it, I wasn't sure how my family would react. It bubbled in the oven while I took off to a Christmas party, but when I came home later that evening my family practically met me at the door to say how utterly delicious dinner was.

They were right, too. We ate the leftovers right up-as a side dish, a main dish, a snack, you name it.

One thing Jamie talks a lot about in the episode that features this dish is the advantages of using frozen vs fresh vegetables. This time of year I've found it easy to find cauliflower on sale, but broccoli tends to be a little more pricey. The advantage of buying frozen veg is that it simply waits in the freezer until you need it, which is great because you don't forget about things hanging around in the fridge and just rotting. I also added a little more garlic, which you can increase or decrease as you wish. Either way, I'm pretty sure your family will love this as much as we do.



Servings: Eight as a side, 6 as a main

Time to prepare: 15-20 minutes

Time to cook: 1 hour 15 minutes

3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into chips
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups 1-2% milk
1 lb fresh (chopped) or frozen broccoli
2 1/2 oz Cheddar cheese, grated
2 lbs fresh (chopped into florets) or frozen cauliflower
2 slices of stale bread
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 oz sliced almonds

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat and add the garlic. Let it sizzle a little until fragrant. Add the flour and give it a good stir, letting it cook and stirring for 1-2 minutes. Gently add the milk, bit by bit, whisking as you go so that you have a smooth sauce.

Add the broccoli to the sauce and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until it's softened and cooked. If you use fresh broccoli, the sauce will seem too thick-I added about 1/2 cup more milk to the sauce to thin it out. When the broccoli begins to fall apart in the sauce, you can use  a hand blender to whiz up the sauce until smooth with a bit of chunky bits throughout. If you don't have a hand blender, a potato masher will do.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and tumble in the chopped cauliflower. Evenly pour over your sauce and top with the rest of the cheese. In a food processor, whiz up the bread to make crumbs, then add the almonds and leaves from the thyme. The stems on thyme can be a little woody, so pulling off the leaves is a good idea. Add about 2 tsp of olive oil, a little salt and pepper to the mixture and give it a good mix. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the cauliflower and sauce.

Pop the dish into the oven, uncovered, and bake for an hour until softened and cooked through.

Adapted from Save With Jamie

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Veggie Pasta Salad

On a hot summer day, I love to have pasta salad for dinner. They are so easy to just fix up to accommodate whatever you have in the fridge, and you can add anything from hard boiled egg to leftover chicken, tuna, some steamed salmon, or shrimp. This one is dressed with oil, vinegar, some fresh shaved Parmesan, and dried herbs, but you could substitute some fresh ones from your garden. I like to use a variety of colored peppers to give it more color-when I made it this time, I was just using up what was in my fridge so it was a little blah looking. Go wild!

250 g vegetable fusilli pasta, or plain pasta
1 red pepper, slivered
2 cups zucchini, slivered
½ cup sliced green onions
6 mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup carrot, peeled and grated
½ cup sliced celery
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp oregano
¼ tsp basil
¼ tsp garlic powder.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to instructions on the box until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water so it doesn’t cook further, and set aside. Toss in a large bowl with the sliced and chopped vegetables.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Drizzle over top of the pasta mixture and toss well before sprinkling over the Parmesan cheese and tossing again. Chill or serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings

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Peas with Lemon, Mint, and Scallions

I'm often looking for new ways to serve vegetables, and these peas served with a bit of cream, some green onion, and mint caught my eye immediately. They are delicious with some grilled meets and instead of having sad, leftover peas at the end of dinner time, the bowl was practically licked clean. If you have any reluctant vegetable eaters in your house, this might be your answer.

Adapted from Fine Cooking

2 cups of fresh shelled peas, or 1 ¾ cups of frozen
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 large green scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
½ tsp fresh lemon zest

Rinse frozen peas under cold water for about 2 minutes, until they are thawed. Line a baking sheet with paper towel and turn them out onto it, rolling them around to let them dry.

If you are using fresh peas, bring a pot of water to a boil and then add the peas, cooking them until tender crisp (about 2 minutes or so, depending on size. Taste them to be sure) Drain and dry on a paper towel lined baking sheet.

In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and then add the scallions. Cook for about 3 minutes until they are soft. Stir in the heavy cream, mint, and lemon zest, bringing to a boil and cooking until a wooden spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan leaves a trail behind. Toss with the cooled and dried peas, adding salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Serve immediately.

Serves 3

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Asaparagus with Orange Butter Sauce

I love asparagus-and it seems like I'm always trying to find new ways to serve it. This is a great recipe if you want a sauce, but not something with cheese. The citrus flavor with the bite of the chive petals go well with grilled meats and seafood. If you are looking for a variety of ways to cook asparagus, take a look at this Bon Appetit article that contains links for tips on prepping the vegetables, serving with a Parmesan vinaigrette, and my personal favorite, roasting.

From Fresh

1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup butter, in 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chive flower petals for garnish

In a small saucepan on medium heat, bring the orange juice to a simmer and cook until reduced by half (about 3-5 minutes). Whisk in the butter, a cube at a time.

To trim your asparagus, cut off about 1 inch from the bottom, then get a veggie peeler and lightly peel the bottom half of the spears. You don't want to press too much and take off more than you need to, but a light peel will do nicely.

Steam the asparagus in a basket steamer until bright green and tender, about 3-5 minutes.

When it is time to serve, divide the asparagus among the plates and then spoon about 1 Tbsp of the sauce over top, sprinkling with some of the chive flower petals.

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Greek Style Quinoa Salad

Last week I went to the Kraft Kitchens in Toronto, and while I was there we all had the opportunity to cook something in the kitchens ourselves. I chose this delicious looking Greek style quinoa salad. In typical Scatteredmom style, as soon as I got home I made the salad again, but changed it around to use less processed ingredients. Bought salad dressings are okay and last forever in the fridge, but in order to get them to last so long they have to contain a lot of preservatives, salt, etc. My dressing is so fast you'll be surprised, plus it's full of flavor, but it doesn't last that long. No matter-you can always shake up another jar whenever you need to, and it's so much better for you.

Adapted from Kraft Foods

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or 1 cup chopped, seeded, tomato
1 small cucumber, chopped
feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp minced fresh oregano
10 cups mixed greens

Measure into a jam jar, pop a lid on, and give 'er a shake:

4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp minced fresh oregano
pinch sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of salt

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the quinoa. Give it a stir, put a lid on it, then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Allow to cool until room temperature.

Meanwhile, chop your tomatoes, cucumber, and onion, then toss them in a bowl with a little bit of your dressing. Toss with the cooled quinoa and some feta cheese.

In a salad bowl, layer the greens, and then the quinoa mixture. Top with a little more feta and then sprinkle over some fresh oregano. Drizzle some of the dressing over that. How much dressing you like is up to you, we keep it pretty minimal and the feta ads so much flavor I don't think you need much.

Serves 6

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Ditch the Processed Packet: Spanish Rice

For the longest time, I used to make flavored rice mixes from a packet. Full of things like chicken fat, maltodextrin, potassium choloride, and disodium inosinate, they really aren't the best things for you and have a lot of preservatives and salt. Why not make your own? Does it really make a difference?

Oh, baby, you bet it does. Full of spicy goodness, this version of Spanish/Mexican rice will have you saying "ole!" before you scarf it all down greedily. The heat of your salsa will determine the heat of the finished product, so if you would prefer something a little milder, make sure to use a milder salsa.

Adapted from Looneyspoons by Janet and Greta Podleski

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/3 cups low sodium chicken broth (I used Kitchen Basics Vegetable Broth)
1 cup long grain white rice
1 cup salsa (I used Newman's own Black Bean and Corn)
1/2 tsp each chili powder and ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt and black pepper
chopped fresh cilantro

In a large saucepan, drizzle some oil on the bottom and set over medium heat to warm up. When the oil is hot, toss in your onion, sweet red pepper, and garlic. Stir around and let it cook until the onions are clear and soft, about 5 minutes or so. Stir in the rice, chicken broth, salsa, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper (optional). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and partially cover. Cook another 25-30 minutes until tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork, and serve!

Serves six.

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South Dakota 4th of July Bison Baked Beans

These baked beans have a story to them. When we were on Food Revolution Road trip, we stopped in Custer, South Dakota and visited the Scotts at their Rock Shop. Last year we had gone on a tour with them, and were hoping to go again.

Only this year, they weren't doing tours. We were so disappointed, but then we were invited to join them for Custer's Fourth of July fireworks that evening. When we arrived, there was a BBQ in full swing, and we tasted some of the BEST baked beans we'd ever had. I managed to get a bit of the ingredients from the lovely lady who made them, and then I had to improvise on my own. The result? Delicious! I may tweak it more and add some molasses instead of all that brown sugar next time, but it was still yummy.

An original recipe by Karen Humphrey

1 lb ground bison
10 pieces of bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
19 oz can kidney beans, drained
19 oz can chick peas, drained
19 oz can black beans, drained
19 oz can mixed beans, drained
19 oz can baked beans (like Hunts, or Heinz)
14 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 head of garlic, chopped
1 1/3 cups ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

In a pan over medium heat, saute the garlic and onion in a bit of olive oil until they are translucent and soft. Add the bison meat and continue to saute away, cooking until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink.

Mix all the beans, the cooked buffalo meat mixture, bacon, and stewed tomatoes together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and mustard. Pour over the beans and toss.

Pour it all into a large baking dish, cover with tin foil, and bake for 1 hour. Makes a LOT of baked beans-probably enough for 8 people as a side.

When you re-heat them, add a bit of water to loosen it all up again and make it 'saucy'.

Delicious!

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Quinoa and Barley Salad

This was my first time cooking quinoa. The stuff was actually kind of hard to find here, and wow! So expensive! For a small bag in some places it was about $8, which seemed kind of over the top. I did eventually find a small box of it that seemed more reasonable, so I thought I'd try this recipe since it's a little different from what I usually make.

Hubs refused to try it, but Kevin smacked his lips, took thirds, and asked me to make it again. I served it with seared steak for Kevin, and roasted chicken breast for me and Hubs. The portions might seem small but they are actually kind of filling, so don't worry. If you wanted to add some chopped nuts, like pecans or almonds, it might add a nice crunch.

What is quinoa, anyway? Check out this site for some info.

Adapted from Canadian Living October 2006Salad:
2/3 cup barley
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup each finely diced carrot, celery, onion, sweet red pepper, and zucchini
1/2 cup finely diced cucumber
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley and mint
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I found this to be a bit much. I'd reduce it a little)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

First, cook the barley. Bring 1 1/3 cups of water to a boil, adding a pinch of salt. Add the barley, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook until tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, for about 30-40 minutes (watch it carefully). I ended up adding more water. Let cool.

In a different pan, bring 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to a boil, then add the quinoa. Cover and turn down the heat to low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, saute up the celery, onion, red pepper, and zucchini in a little olive oil until just tender crisp. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, toss together the cooled quinoa, barley, veggies, cucumber, mint, thyme, and parsley. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, ginger, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

You can make this ahead and then chill for up to 24 hours! Store in a sealed, airtight container.

Makes 6 servings.

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Rosemary Roasted Beets

Okay so I decided to try something new. I'm not really a beet fan; mostly because they turn me purple and all, but the thought of roasting them with rosemary and garlic sounded yummy, so the recipe sucked me in.

The instructions said to chop up the garlic, but I think it would be better to just leave the heads whole, because then you could squeeze out the roasted garlic and have the mellow chunks to meld in with your beets. But whatever. I chopped. I even raided the rosemary bush of mine that actually survived the winter and snipped off a few branches.

Sure Karen, kill the ivy that you had for a year and was doing wonderful because you forget to water it until it's practically a dry withered mess, but the rosemary lives.

Anyway. Back to beets. It's easy. A bit messy, but easy. And they were good, too!

Adapted From Canadian Living

You will need:

6 beets
4 cloves garlic
3 tbsp fresh rosemary, plus some more to sprinkle over top when they're done
2 tbsp oil
salt and pepper

Wash the beets to get the dirt off, dry them with paper towel, and cut the greens off, leaving about an inch attached to the beet. Make a packet out of foil but making a square then folding the sides but leaving one end open. Put the beets inside with the garlic, rosemary, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a drizzle of 1 tbsp of oil. Close up the end, put them on a cookie sheet, and place them in a 350 F oven for an hour to roast until they are very tender.

When finished, carefully open the packet and let them cool slightly. Peel off the skin carefully-you can use gloves, but I didn't. Make sure to wear an apron or old clothes to keep yourself from being covered in beet juice. Cut the beets into thick slices and serve with the juices, bits of garlic and rosemary spooned over top.

Makes 6 side dish servings

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Lemon Chive Potatoes

I am not a fan of boiled potatoes. To me they just seem so...plain and boring. I'm not sure where the inspiration for these came from, but I just threw everything together in a pot and then it was...WOW, these are the most amazing potatoes ever! I highly recommend them.

Please excuse my lack of exact measuring here, but the fun part of cooking is that you don't need to be exact. You can figure it out, I promise.

I used nugget sized white potatoes. They weren't teeny or big, and I just cut them in 1/2 and boiled them in salted water until they were tender. Drain them well, wipe out the pot, and then while everything is still hot, dump the drained potatoes back into the warm, dry pot.

Top them with a nob of butter. What's a nob, you say? Just a spoonful, or enough to coat them. You don't want your potatoes swimming in butter. Then get a lemon and zest that baby right into the pot. Chop up a few green onions really fine and sprinkle them in, then cut the lemon in 1/2 and squeeze the juice over top of the potatoes. Salt and pepper everything to taste, and give the potatoes a stir to coat everything evenly. When you plate them up, make sure everyone has a little of the green onion.

Delicious!

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Bicks Macaroni Salad

The most popular salad recipe on Chasing Tomatoes, this quick macaroni salad is a great side dish to take to a BBQ or serve with grilled meats. It's so fast and easy to make that you can even hand the job off to an older child to take care of. Change up the veggies in it if to your liking, add bacon or crumbled cooked sausage, even!

Adapted from Bicks

1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup Bicks corn relish
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups uncooked macaroni
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/3 cup chopped green onion
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

In a small bowl, mix the mayo, relish, salt, sugar, and pepper together, and Chill.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain well and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, combine macaroni, celery, red pepper, green onion and toss. Add the dressing, and toss until coated. Gently fold in the eggs.

Chill for about two hours.

Serves 8

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Lemon Chive Mashed Potatoes

I don't usually use a recipe for mashed potatoes. Instead I eyeball it, so I'll try to explain how I make it without using much in the way of measurements. The other night Jake suggested that I add lemon and chive to the potatoes, and it was an instant hit! It's especially delicious with Citrus Roasted Chicken, as the orange and lemon flavors play off of each other nicely.

You will need:

Yukon Gold Potatoes. About 2 medium sized ones per person, I'm guessing.
butter
milk
a lemon or two
handful of chives
salt and pepper

Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water until they are tender. Drain them well, then put them back into the warm pot. Drop in a knob or two of butter. Mash.

Knob= about a tablespoon-ish

Heat up a little milk in the microwave. I usually heat up too much, but depending on the moisture in the potatoes, you might need a bit more on some days, a little less on others. I usually heat up about 1/3 cup. I don't always use it all. I use enough to make it creamy, but not so much that it's soup. You can eyeball it, honest!

Pour in some milk and mash some more until it's the nice creamy texture you like. Salt and pepper to taste, then zest a lemon directly into the mixture. Cut the lemon in 1/2 and squeeze about a tbsp or two into the potatoes. Add some chopped chives.

Stir. Taste and adjust as you see fit.

Serve.

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Scalloped Potatoes

Creamy, rich, scalloped potatoes go great with a roasted ham. Some recipes I've used call for cream to get that great rich taste, but this one uses 1% milk and it tasted just as good, if not better! There's no cheese in this recipe, but I don't think you need it. If you want some, you can sprinkle some on top in the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

6 Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 small onion, sliced

sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme or marjoram
2 1/2 cups of milk (I used 1%)

Peel and thinly sliced the potatoes. To keep them from discoloring while I made the sauce, I put them in a bowl of cold water to sit.

In a saucepan, melt the butter until smooth. Add the flour, salt, pepper, and thyme, stirring and cooking for 1 minute. Add the milk gradually, whisking well to keep it smooth. Continue to cook and stir sauce until it thickens; about 5-8 minutes.

Grease an 8 inch square glass baking dish (or a casserole dish will do-shallow is good). Layer 1/3 of the potatoes, then 1/2 the onions, 1/3 potatoes, 1/2 the onions, and then 1/3 of the potatoes. Pour sauce evenly over top. Cover dish with tin foil.

Bake at 350 F for 1 hour, then uncover the dish and bake 30 minutes until browned, bubbly, and the potatoes are tender. You may want to put a pan underneath the potatoes while they cook, because mine overflowed a bit and began dripping in the oven. Let them stand to cool and thicken up for about 5 minutes or so before serving.

Serves 6.

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Roasted Sweet Potato Bites

First, lets figure out what yams and sweet potatoes are. What we often see in the stores here that are marketed as yams are, in fact, orange sweet potatoes. Yams are longer, thinner, and often used in African cooking. Orange sweet potatoes are more moist than their counterparts, and make a great alternative to regular potato. Sometimes I'll chop up some yukon gold potatoes and throw them in the bowl as well. We love these alongside eggs, meats, or in any place where you'd normally serve roasted potatoes. You can also get a little creative with the seasonings and add any type of seasoning you might with roasted potatoes such as sprigs of rosemary or thyme.

Measurements aren't so important here, it's the method that counts.

1. Just take some yams and/or russet potatoes. Peel and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Toss in a bowl with salt, pepper, a bit of paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil.

3. Heat the oven to 375 F.

4. Put a baking sheet in the oven to get nice and hot.

5. When the pan is hot, toss the yam mixture on the pan and stick it in the oven.

6. Make sure to stir it, move the potatoes around so that they don't stick to the pan, and get evenly browned on all sides. It should take about 20 minutes for the bites to be browned and cooked through.

Enjoy with ketchup.

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Scattered Mom's Tater wedges

Our family doesn't do fries. When we have a hankering for something tater-y, we make potato wedges..less fat, less chemical junk from the packaged stuff, and they are very yummy! These don't cook up especially crispy like fries, but they are a very nice alternative.

The measurements here aren't exact, but try to play along. Go on, you can do it!

Some potatoes...depends on how many people you have. I like white potatoes best for these, because then you don't have to peel them. The nugget sized ones work well. Not tiny, not large, but about the size of a kiwi.

About 1 tbsp of olive oil..just enough to coat them.

A good sprinkle of Montreal Chicken Spice

Turn your oven on to 425 F.

The potatoes get sliced in 1/2, and then each 1/2 is cut into 4 wedges. In a bowl, drizzle them with the olive oil and then toss with a liberal sprinkle of the spice mix.

Put a baking sheet in the oven all by it's lonesome for about 3 minutes to get nice and hot. This is a trick I learned in a cooking class...the potatoes don't stick then! Who would've known that?!

Take the hot pan out and toss on your prepped taters. They should be in a single layer. Put them back in the oven for about 17-20 minutes. Stir, shake, toss occasionally to keep them from only cooking on one side.

Serve immediately with ketchup.

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Coconut Ginger Rice

Shown with Cashew Chicken Stirfry

Deliciously spiced up with ginger, garlic, and infused with coconut, this is one of my favorite ways to make rice and is amazing paired up with these spicy but sweet chicken mango kebabs. We love it with stir fries or curries, and if you don't use the whole can of coconut milk, don't despair. It freezes well so put it away for another day when you have a craving. The rice leftovers make AMAZING fried rice for dinner or even a lunch box addition.

Adapted From Crazy Plates, by Janet and Greta Podleski

1 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp grated ginger root
1 small thai chili, minced (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups uncooked, long grain white rice
3/4 cup coconut milk (make sure it's not the kind used for desserts)
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt

In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, stirring, until the smell begins to waft through the air. Don't let the garlic brown though, or it will be bitter. Add the rice and allow to cook for about 1 minute. Stir in 2 1/4 cups water, honey, coconut milk, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. No peeking!

Fluff with a fork before serving.

Serves 6

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Mediterranean Rice Salad

Salads don't have to be all about lettuce and veggies; sometimes a nice grainy one will do. This is a perfect accompaniment to grilled meats and is nice enough to serve to company or take to a BBQ. I have often left out the currants, but I do like the bit of sweetness that they add to the dish. I like to use fresh orange juice-meaning I buy some really great oranges and then squeeze them myself, but first I like to get a little of their zest into the dressing as well. You could use juice from a tetra pack, but I think the fresh is a little nicer.

Adapted from Canadian Living

1 1/2 cups long grain rice (allergy substitution: try quinoa or sorghum, even barley)

1/4 cup dried currants (optional)

1/4 cup chopped onion (try green onions or even red onion)

2 carrots, peeled and grated

1 zucchini, grated

Dressing:

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp rice or wine vinegar

1 tbsp liquid honey

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp each ground cumin and coriander

1/2 tsp each paprika and pepper

Cook rice as you normally would. Remove from the heat and stir zucchini, onions, currants, and carrots. Set aside. Mix dressing ingredients together in a bowl and pour over salad. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until chilled.

Makes 8 servings

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Brown Rice Veggie Pilaf

Do you buy those silly dried seasoned rice packets? I have. To me, they always taste full of chemicals. So tonight I came up with my own rice dish and it was so yummy Kevin insisted I blog about it. Making rice this way is so much healthier, and you can also control the salt more-especially if you buy low salt chicken broth or make your own.

3/4 cup brown rice (mine takes 45 minutes to cook)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp butter (or margarine)
1/4 of a red bell pepper, minced
1 carrot, shredded
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup frozen green peas


In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and red pepper and saute until the garlic is fragrant. throw in the onion, rice, carrot, marjoram and pepper, stirring to coat the rice. Pour in the chicken stock. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. When the mixture boils (don't peek!) transfer the pot to another element and turn it on to low. Allow to cook for about 45 minutes.

In the last minute of cooking time, add the peas and remove from the stove. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes and the dish will cool slightly, as well as warm up the peas.

Serves 2-3 as a side dish.

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