Roasted Cauliflower

My kids, well two of them anyway, will actually eat cauliflower when it's prepared this way. (The third doesn't eat vegetables of any kind.) When I tell them we're having roasted cauliflower, one says "I don't want any roast on my cauliflower." I say, "OK".

1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cauliflower into small flowerettes, eliminating as much of the stem as possible, and put the pieces into a 9x13" baking pan. Drizzle olive oil over the cauliflower pieces and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Mix well. Grind pepper on top and place into oven. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until some pieces are starting to turn crispy brown.

[Note: If you're serving this to adults, it would be nice to sprinkle fresh, finely chopped parsley on top, but if you're serving to kids, don't put anything green on or near it!]

Baked Potato Skins

6 small to medium sized russet baking potatoes
Olive oil
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Canola oil
salt
pepper
6 strips of bacon
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onions

Scrub the potatoes clean, place each potato on a square of foil, pour a small amount olive oil on each potato, sprinkle with Montreal Steak Seasoning, wrap each potato in the foil and place and bake in a 400°F oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.

Increase the heat of the oven to 450°F. Brush or rub canola oil (or another high smoke point oil, olive oil won't work) all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan (don't use a cookie sheet, it will warp from the high heat, use a roasting pan or broiler pan).

Cook for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.

Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on the roasting pan or rack. Sprinkle the insides with black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Return to the oven. Broil for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from the oven. Using tongs to place the potatoes on a serving plate. Top with a dollop of sour cream on each skin, sprinkle with green onions. Serve.

Oven Roasted Vegetables

1 medium zucchini
1 medium summer squash
1 medium red pepper
1 medium yellow pepper
1 lb. fresh asparagus
1 red onion
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper


Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut all vegetables into bite sized pieces. Place vegetables onto a large roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, sal and pepper to mix and coat. Spread into t asingle layer on the pan. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

On occasion (if I have them on hands), I will coat some cherry tomatoes in olive oil and toss them in for the last 10 minutes of baking time.

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

I don't know where I found this recipe, but I copied it onto notepaper that says "An Irish Fact: If you're lucky enough to be Irish...you're lucky enough." I serve this to company at Thanksgiving, and even people who say they hate brussels sprouts love it and take seconds.

2 teaspoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8 cups halved and thinly sliced brussels sprouts (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in brussels sprounts; saute 2 minutes. Add broth and sugar; cook 5 minutes or until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Stir in salt. Sprinkle with pecans before serving.

Tomato Salad

This must be made with ripe, red tomatoes - the kind you buy at the farmer's market. It absolutely doesn't work with the hard, pink tomatoes from the regular grocery store. Which means you can only make it in summertime.

6 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup drained black olives, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and marinate for 2 hours. Serve at room temperature.

Sweet Potato Casserole II

1 cup flour
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter (or margarine), melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and halved
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg white
1 (5 oz) can fat free evaporated milk


Place the sweet potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and cook until very tender. Drain well and mash in a bowl. Combine the first 5 ingredients by hand until crumbly and set aside. Add 1 cup of the pecan brown sugar mixture to the the mashed sweet potatoes, add white sugar, extract, egg white, and evaporated milk. Spoon potato mixture into a 2q baking dish that has been coated with non-stick spray. Top with the remaining pecan-brown sugar mixture. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

[From Crescent City Collection by The Junior League of New Orleans]