have in common? We both support the Vegan Lifestyle of course! Saturday, JT busted out as Tofu Blob from Veganville in one of the funniest skits in SNL history...
And last night, I whipped up a Roasted Vegetable dish good enough to dance to! Started with a medley of Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, Onions, Eggplant and Garlic...
In a small bowl, mixed together Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Rosemary, Salt and Pepper...
Quartered and cut the veggies and evenly coated them with the dressing...
Covered the Pan with Olive Oil and Rosemary and used Eggplant as a base for the Roast...
Poured in the veggies and roasted them at 375 degrees for about 1 hour...
Last night I made roasted Artichokes and homemade Mushroom and Tomato Pizza and it occurred to me that I almost always use Trader Joe's products! The Artichokes were really easy to make...here are the directions but want to point that while they wait for your consumption, they also make for very cool looking decor!
Start with medium to large sized Artichokes, cut them at each end and place a garlic clove in the center of the top...
To prevent them from turning brown, which they do as soon as you cut them, squirt a little lemon juice throughout. I didn't but I also roasted them almost immediately so they were OK. And, I would recommend cutting the garlic clove and spreading it throughout the Artichoke so you get even distribution of the flavor or, place multiple cloves within...live and learn! Wrap tightly in aluminum foil so that they can't breathe and pop in the oven for about 1 and 1/2 hours...
Serve with a side of olive oil, salt and pepper for dipping and enjoy!
Delicious, nutritious and beautiful!
While the Artichokes were roasting, I started on the Pizza but, walking backwards...
I used TJ's 100% whole wheat dough rolled and covered in fresh garlic cloves... smothered in Tomato Basil Marinara sauce...will use Pizza sauce next time but this is all I had!
covered one half with TJ's shredded blend of cheddar and mozzarella cheese so that my Vegan half could enjoy it too!
decorated it with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and popped it in the oven for about 25 minutes...
that's what someone called me on Face Book after I posted last night's Rosemary Medley of Chicken, Red Bliss Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts...
and you know what? I really like the sound of that! I don't claim to be master chef or anything but I do like to play around with food and believe that anyone can cook...have you seen Ratatouille? If not, then you must!
I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients but don't go crazy with what I use so, if there is beef or chicken or vegetables, well then I use that and add simple spices to taste. In this case, I used the rosemary from the Rosemary Tree I got over the holidays and marinated the chicken breast with that, a bit of olive oil and garlic for 3 days in the refrigerator.
I then added rosemary, olive oil and a bit of Kosher salt to the red bliss potatoes and sauteed them along with the chicken.
As for the Brussels sprouts- these were frozen from Trader Joe's and, although I prefer them fresh, -sauteed with yup...you guessed it...olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar (my secret for making them less bitter and a bit burnt) were delicious!
Go ahead, give it a try and remember...if at first you don't succeed, only you will know!
