Roasted Veggies

These veggies are a staple at our house, either just as they are or added to other dishes like lasagna and quinoa. (Those recipes to follow.)

Sweet peppers (red, orange and/or yellow)
Zucchini
Red onion
Mushrooms
Fresh garlic cloves
Olive oil
Basil
Cracked pepper, chopped jalepeños or dried chilli flakes, depending on how much heat you want
Salt

1. Chop all the veggies. Remember they shrink, especially mushrooms, so don't chop them really tiny.
2. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil and spices. Don't be afraid to be generous with your spices. The more flavour you use, the less salt you need to make it edible.
3. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper and arrange veggies on the baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Bake at 375º or 400º, stirring them around a couple of times, until the veggies are beginning to look slightly charred. 
5. In the summertime, I do these on the barbecue in a grill basket. Summer is also the perfect time to add in extras such as cherry tomatoes (whole) and asparagus.

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Close your eyes and pretend you are in Greece...

Ingredients
8-10 potatoes, peeled and quartered (approximately!)
1/2 cup lemon juice
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
3 tsp chicken bouillon (soup base)
1 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp pepper

1. Arrange the potato in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.
2. Mix together remaining ingredients and pour over the potatoes. Be liberal! Be conservative! Be free! I don't measure any of it. Use more or less of anything. Seriously. No rules apply. I've used less oil, more garlic, less potato, more lemon juice, less oregano, more pepper. You get the picture. 
3. Roast uncovered at anywhere from 350 F (180°C) to 425 F (220°C). (Usually, you've got something else in the oven at the same time, and  really, the potatoes don't mind. I usually keep them in there for a couple of hours. You want them looking crispy around the edges. Stir them around and turn them over once or twice while baking.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Before I spent time in Australia, I believed squash to be an inferior, tasteless, mushy, pale orange loser of a vegetable. And then I met Butternut Pumpkin. It's like vegetable-candy. You should try it.

Butternut squash, cut in half
Cracked pepper
Salt
Sage
Oregano
Onion powder
Garlic

1. Line a pan with parchment paper.
2. Sprinkle the cut sides of the squash with spices. Be creative. If it smells good, do it!
3. Place the pieces cut side down on the pan.
4. Bake at 350 F (180°C) to 425 F (220°C), depending on if you have anything in the oven at the same time. Baking time will depend on how big the squash is, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The skins will be brown and a toothpick will insert easily.
5. Scoop the baked squash out of the skins and enjoy :)

Potato Salad

Nothing says 'summer picnic' like potato salad. You could, of course, leave out the bacon...or you could jump in the lake and swim a little longer! This recipe makes enough dressing for a rather large salad - enough to share with your sister-in-law who doesn't like potato salad, but thinks this one is divine!

Ingredients

5 lbs red baby potatoes

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 package bacon, fried and crumbled

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped

1 1/2 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

3 tbsp grated Parmesan

3 tbsp ranch dressing

2 tbsp mustard

4 tsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Boil the potatoes until they are tender; cool.
2. Cut potatoes in halves, thirds or quarters, depending on how big you want the pieces.
3. Throw in red onion, bacon, parsley and dill.
4. Mix together remaining ingredients to make a dressing and stir it into the salad.
5. Chill before serving. It's best if you leave it overnight to let the flavours blend.

Grilled Corn

I experimented with grilled corn last summer and was pleasantly surprised. It takes longer than the traditional boiling but I think it's worth the extra time. I did find that the leftovers the next day were a little tough - an excuse to eat it all up for dinner!







Ingredients
Corn on the cob, husks removed
Butter or margarine
Salt and pepper

1. Place the corn on a piece of foil.
2. Spread butter on the corn and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Wrap up the corn in the foil.
4. Grill 45 to 60 minutes, turning every 15 to 20 minutes.

I kept burning one side of the corn because when I was turning it, I couldn't figure out which side was already cooked. The solution to my dilemma was to label the sides of the corn from 1 to 3 with a sharpie. It's okay if you think I'm weird.