Healthy Eating: Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower (with a kick) #BloggerClue

January, the month of resolutions.

“We are going to walk everyday after work—rain or shine or snow.”

“We are going to make time for our hobbies and interests.”

“We are going to eat healthier.”

Sound familiar?  I hasten to guess that most of us have made at least one of these resolutions every year.  Here at Blogger C.L.U.E., we have set out to help you, especially if the latter resolution of eating healthier hits home.

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January’s theme is HEALTHY EATING!

My assignment this month is Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch.   (Azmina is a super busy and driven lawyer who long ago realized the balance between work and life.)  I found lots of healthy recipes on her blog but I most wanted to celebrate the vegetable for this post.   Vegetable recipes are few and far between here at EE and another one of my resolutions for 2016 is to highlight more veggies.

Although I found many recipes that I want to try on Azmina’s blog (those like Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake, Coconut Curry Noodle Soup, Chicken Tikka Salad, and Roasted Garlic and Chicken Sausage Pasta), I landed on two veggie recipes:

Honey-Sriracha Carrots and Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower from Eliot's Eats

First up, the carrot recipe:

Honey-Roasted Sriracha Carrots

1 1/2 lbs. carrots
2 t. honey
2 t. . sambal oelek
2 t. . sriracha
1/2 t.  granulated garlic
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a large cookie sheet with foil and brush with oil.

Scrub carrots with a vegetable brush, rinse, and dry thoroughly with a paper towel.  (I used some purple beauties from a late October harvest.)

Cosmic Purple Carrots from Eliot's Eats

Cosmic Purple Carrots left over from a late harvest.

 

In a small mixing bowl, mix remaining ingredients for the glaze. Place carrots on tray and brush with half of the glaze, flipping the carrots around to make sure they are  glazed on all sides.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.

Remove carrots from oven. Place on large serving platter and brush with remaining glaze.

Azmina cautions, “Do not panic if some of the glaze runs off the carrots and burns on the cookie sheet. This is normal and not cause for the theatrical, ‘Oh my god, the carrots are ruiiiiiiiiiined!’ Not that I would ever do that.”   Because of her warning, I added the foil-lining to the recipe.  I HATE to scrub cookie sheets.

Now for the final (and probably most delicious recipe):  Fancy-Pants Roasted Cauliflower.  Have I mentioned how hilarious Azmina is?  Her recipe title comes from the fact that she bought a fancy pair of pants:  “I bought myself a pair of fancy-shmancy pants for no reason other than the fact that they made me look taller and thinner. ”

Amen, sister.

She celebrated her find with this keeper of a recipe.

Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower
2-4 cloves garlic
Olive oil
1 t.  onion powder
Kosher salt
Pepper
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh parsley (or herb of your choice)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut cauliflower into florets. Grate garlic cloves on a microplane and mix with enough olive oil to make a runny paste. Add onion powder, salt, and pepper to garlic oil mixture. Stir oil mixture. Pour oil over cauliflower florets and toss to coat.

Spread cauliflower mixture on large baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes and stir cauliflower to avoid scorching. Bake for another 10 minutes. Poke floret with fork to ensure it’s cooked. Broil for 2-4 minutes being careful not to burn the florets.  Remove from oven and mix in fresh herbs.  (I used some thyme.)

Azmina gives another warning with this recipe:  “Eat immediately, burning roof of mouth.”  (Actually, is this a warning or a commandment?)

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Both of these recipes are delicious.  The carrots are heat ‘n sweet roasty goodness.  I didn’t know if I could find a recipe that is better than simple roasted cauliflower.  I did and this is it!   Both of these recipes are phenomenal and I could make an entire meal on nothing but these spicy carrots and savory cauliflower.

The last time I was assigned Lawyer Loves Lunch was in February of last year when I made another of her healthy dishes:  Pomegranate-Lime Granita.

 

Cook, Learn, Undertake and EAT (also known as the Blogger C.L.U.E. Society)  is a fun way to explore and find interesting and delicious recipes.  Each month our members receive the name of a food blog and a theme. We hunt through our assigned blog to find a recipe that we adore and that fits the month’s theme.

Check out what the other C.L.U.E. members posted:

For February’s posting for C.L.U.E., we will all be hunting for Soups and Stews.   Stop back by on the second Wednesday in February to see who I was assigned and what’s in the soup pot.

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