Eat Your Vegetables

Back in my day, I often find myself saying that more and more...I think my age is catching up with me. I know age is only a number and it doesn't really matter. As I get older, my taste buds and palette have somewhat changed. There use to be things that I would choke down just to avoid the flavor...namely vegetables. I have spent most of my life finding ways to avoid them. I remember when I was a kid, I would chew once and hope it goes down. I often would sit at the table choking because let me tell you, bok choy often needs more than one chew to go down smoothly. I learned that lesson the hard way. I have also learned and don't like to admit it but vegetables aren't half bad.

There is one salad that I can eat over and over again. I even liked it more than the fried chicken at the restaurant. I am wiping away the drool as I type this but every time I think about this salad, I salivate just a little bit. The carrot and avocado salad from ABC Kitchen is amazing. The decor there is just the right touch of whimsy and playfulness. It's chic without being uptight and it's just beautiful. You feel at home but yet it still makes you feel like you are somewhere special. Enough though, I would eat any of their veggies. I am not sure if they put magic fairy dust but it's so simple and the purity of the flavors of the vegetables just shine. Here is my attempt:

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Carrots
Squash
Onions
Zucchini
Root Vegetables

1 clove of garlic
Salt
Pepper
Cumin

Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar or Lemon Juice
Feta or Goat Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F

I would say equal amounts of each of the veggies. Cut them into cubes or slices. Chop up the garlic and mix with the veggies. Everything goes in a baking dish or cookie sheet. Brush the veggies with some olive oil and sprinkle some salt, pepper and cumin. Season to taste. I would go easy on the cumin though, a little bit goes a long way. All of that goes into the oven for about 20 minutes. Check and see. If you like your veggies crunchier, take it out. If not, leave it in. You can always cover the veggies with foil to speed along the cooking process. Try not to burn the veggies.

After veggies are done and drizzle some olive oil and balsamic. I would say 2 parts olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar. Toss in some cheese. The amount of cheese depends on how much veggies you cook, you want bites of cheese. Remember the veggies are the star of the show. The cheese is just to give it some creaminess.

Enjoy.