{"id":4178,"date":"2012-11-19T00:30:20","date_gmt":"2012-11-19T06:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=4178"},"modified":"2012-11-19T00:30:20","modified_gmt":"2012-11-19T06:30:20","slug":"4178","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2012\/11\/19\/4178\/","title":{"rendered":"GCH:What’s on Your Plate? – Roasted Winter Veggies & Broccoli Craisin Salad!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanksgiving week<\/strong>!\u00a0 Oh boy…here we go!\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t you just love it?\u00a0 I do. \u00a0My favorite foods on the table are always<\/strong> the side dishes.\u00a0 So this week I am going to share two recipes.\u00a0 Maybe one of them might even end up on your table this year!\u00a0 Both of these recipes also fall into the healthy but oh-so-yummy<\/em> category, too!<\/p>\n

The first recipe is for Roasted Winter Veggies<\/strong>.\u00a0 I love roasted veggies…the melange of colors, and textures, and flavors; the nicely caramelized bits; the few little pieces that hover just this side of burnt!\u00a0 Making roasted veggies is a very forgiving recipe, too.\u00a0 I have the veggies ready to go into the oven the moment the turkey comes out to rest and be carved.* There are a few basic ingredients; but then you can add and subtract to your heart\u2019s content.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1\/3 cup olive oil<\/p>\n

1 medium butternut squash, halved, seeded and peeled<\/p>\n

1\u00a0large Vidalia onion, peeled<\/p>\n

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes\u00a0 (or 4-5 medium red potatoes), peeled<\/p>\n

1 bag (12-16 ounces) carrot chips (or baby carrots)<\/p>\n

1# brussel sprouts, trim end off and remove outer leaves (if large, cut in half)<\/p>\n

1 small head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1+1\/2″ florets<\/p>\n

12 ounce pkg Baby Bella mushrooms, stemmed and cleaned; cut into appropriate size<\/p>\n

3 medium red beets, peeled (rinse your hands after handling the beets..unless you like a pink tint to your nails and fingers!)<\/p>\n

1 tablespoon each: sea salt,\u00a0 freshly ground pepper<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Directions:<\/strong> Prep the veggies, washing anything that needs it. Place two really large low-sided roasting pans (sometimes called cookie sheets with sides) into the oven and preheat oven to 425. Cut everything into approximately 1+1\/2″ pieces; don\u2019t cut the veggies too small as all they will shrink a bit while roasting. Just try and have everything fairly close to the same size.<\/p>\n

Place all the veggies, EXCEPT for the beets, into a really large bowl (or stockpot). Pour most of the oil over the veggies (add the rest if necessary), add salt &pepper, then gently mix together making sure to thoroughly coat each piece of veggie. Pour onto the heated pans. Then place the cut-up beets into the bowl stirring to coat, and add them to the veggies on the roasting pans. It is important that the veggies are not piled up on one another. You do not want them to steam but to roast.\u00a0 They should be in a single layer. It might be very snug but they will shrink slightly as they roast.<\/p>\n

Roast for 30-35 minutes \u2018til the most dense veggies are done when poked with a fork.\u00a0 I like to <attempt> to turn the veggies over after the first 15 minutes; that way more sides of each piece will caramelize; yum.\u00a0 Be fairly quick during this turning process as you don\u2019t want to leave the oven open very long!\u00a0 Once you have determined that they are done,\u00a0remove from oven.\u00a0 Turn off the oven.\u00a0\u00a0 Carefully taste, adding additional salt and pepper (I always add more!) and place into your serving bowl.\u00a0 <3<\/p>\n

A few other things to keep in mind:<\/em><\/p>\n

If you are preparing this recipe…and there is nothing else in the oven…follow the directions in the recipe.\u00a0 HOWEVER<\/strong><\/em>, if you are making this on Thanksgiving Day: put the pans into the oven for about 10 minutes before you take the turkey out.\u00a0 Then while the bird is resting, and being carved, and the gravy is being made, the veggies can be roasting. When the turkey is removed, bump the heat up to 425.\u00a0 Fill the heated pans, and place them back into the oven.\u00a0 Roast the veggies for approximately 30-35 minute, check that the densest veggies are done and, if so, remove the pans from the oven and turn off the oven.<\/p>\n

At this point, if the meal is not ready to be brought to the table, place the veggies into a serving dish, and place back into the oven \u2018til you are ready to go. Other veggies to consider: asparagus, broccoli, parsnips, sweet potatoes, fingerlings, fennel. Leftover roasted veggies?\u00a0 (Hard to believe, but…) Use them as the key ingredients to roasted veggie lasagna, roasted veggie chowder, roasted veggie omelet or frittata, roasted veggie burritos…the list could go on and on.\u00a0 These are particular dishes I have made.\u00a0 How kind would you be to yourself but to have one of these chosen as a quick and easy meal to come home to after Christmas shopping-til-you-drop?<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

And here is the recipe for the second side dish: Broccoli-Craisin Salad<\/strong>.\u00a0 This is a beautiful raw salad, a very healthy but oh-so-yummy<\/em> addition to the side dish array on your Thanksgiving Day table.\u00a0 It has a slightly smoky (from the bacon), slightly sweet (from the honey), slightly tart (from the vinegar), very mellow taste.\u00a0 I have had MANY supposed broccoli haters be prompted to try just one tiny taste…only to find they enjoy it and come back for more!\u00a0 We enjoy this salad all year long!\u00a0 Hoping that your family enjoys it, too! \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 heads broccoli crowns, cut into small florets*<\/p>\n

1\/2 pkg Craisins (dried cranberries)<\/p>\n

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled<\/p>\n

1\/2 red onion, very thinly sliced<\/p>\n

1\/2 cup mayonnaise<\/p>\n

1\/2\u00a0 cup sour cream<\/p>\n

1\/4 cup honey, warmed<\/p>\n

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar<\/p>\n

1 cup sunflower seeds<\/p>\n

freshly ground pepper<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, and vinegar; set aside. In a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Take mayo mixture and pour over broccoli mixture, tossing gently to thoroughly coat. I pour the dressed mixture into a large zip-top bag to go into the fridge.\u00a0 Every once in a while, give the bag a flip-over and a couple of squeezes to massage the yumminess all around!<\/p>\n

Then when your meal is ready to go onto the table, just pour the salad out into a serving bowl.\u00a0 Easy-peasy!<\/p>\n

Should be prepared at least 4 hours beforehand, up to 8 hours or so. Just prior to serving, stir in the sunflower seeds and ground pepper to taste.<\/p>\n

* The biggest hint I can offer to you for this salad is to cut the broccoli florets as small as you possibly can.\u00a0 I consider it a labor of love and, oh, so worth it!\u00a0 It is MUCH more palatable to have little florets in your mouth as you munch on this salad rather than a large hunk of broccoli!\u00a0 Trust me!\u00a0 You can do the chopping ahead of time, even a day or so, and simply store in the fridge. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Honestly, I have been known to sit in front of the television while doing it! <3<\/p>\n

Have a wonderful, thanks-filled Thanksgiving Day!\u00a0May we each always remember how very much we have to be thankful for and give thanks to the One Who so perfectly and abundantly and graciously provides for our every need!<\/p>\n

\n

Psalms 30:12<\/strong><\/p>\n

To the end that my tongue and<\/i> my heart and<\/i> everything glorious within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. <3<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

God loves you!\u00a0 and\u00a0I do too.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Coleen <3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thanksgiving week!\u00a0 Oh boy…here we go!\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t you just love it?\u00a0 I do. \u00a0My favorite foods on the table are always the side dishes.\u00a0 So this week I am going to share two recipes.\u00a0 Maybe one of them might even end up on your table this year!\u00a0 Both of these recipes also fall into the healthy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":4181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15],"tags":[134,170,172,175,235,413,418,425,483,723,724,782,866,903,925,963,1047,1059],"class_list":["post-4178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-at-home-with-gch","tag-beets","tag-broccoli","tag-brussel-sprouts","tag-butternut","tag-coleen-hayden","tag-gch-whats-on-your-plate","tag-gchwoyp","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-healthy-but-oh-so-yummy","tag-online-bible-studies","tag-online-bible-study","tag-potatoes","tag-raw-foods","tag-roasted-veggies","tag-salad","tag-side-dishes","tag-teens-online-bible-study","tag-thanksgiving","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/2012-08-17-18-58-38.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s39pHp-4178","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}