Help! My roasted veggies feel naked!

[emilycat]

I, like many of you, love the taste of fresh veggies roasted to perfection wearing only a bit of olive oil -- but when I'm having company, I like them to be a bit more dressed up. I know there have been lots of viniagrette-type recipes scattered all over the board, but I'm having a crazy time trying to find all of them in so many different threads. Humour me, please? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[browneye]

Emilycat-
I have a favorite that I got a few years back out of vegetarian times magazine. It is not a vinaigrette, however we love this on roasted veges. It tastes decadent, but it's not. I lost the original recipe, but basically it is this:
In a blender or processer, put about 1/2 cup Nayonnaise (tofu mayo), 1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice, a clove of crushed garlic. Whirl until smooth. Add 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, and whirl until blended. Season with salt and pepper, adjust seasonings to taste. Dab/drizzle on top of roasted vegetables.
Also- Moosewood Low-Fat has several variations on dressing roasted veges- I think it is called roasted veges 3 way. If you don't have that I could post... let me know.

[Wendy w]

Hi Emily,

I'm also very addicted to roasted veggies-especially broccoli, asparagus, potatoes and brussels sprouts, mushrooms, red onion, and tomatoes (not necessarily together). I usually toss them in a little olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of kosher salt and garlic powder on them. I will have to try browneye's suggestion it looks great.

Anyway, I will stop rambling now and get to the point: I recently bought a peppercorn salad dressing mix from the Spice House (Penzey's has it too)and you can mix it with yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk. It is great served on the side with the veggies. Mmmm good!

[gertdog]

This is also not a vinaigrette... sorry!

I also loooove roasted veggies. I usually throw in peppers, some onion, eggplant, zucchini and some tomatoes and garlic cloves. I also tear up some fresh basil leaves and add them. The tomatoes release their juices while roasting and mingle flavors with the oil, garlic, and basil. When the veggies come out of the oven and are dished out onto plates, I dab a bit of goat cheese on each serving. A mouthful that has a little goat cheese and some roasted garlic in it is pure heaven!

Wendy w, I'm going to try your Penzey's peppercorn dressing suggestion!

[This message has been edited by gertdog (edited 05-17-2001).]

[Wendy w]

Thanks gertdog! I love your suggestion too!!

[Gail]

Call me crazy, but I dunno. I'm thinking some kind of yogurt sauce might be interesting as well.

Just to give you an idea where I'm coming from, although I realize your veggies are roasted and not fried, check this out:

FRIED EGGPLANT WITH YOGURT SAUCE
Bathinjan Maqlee bi-Laban
(Palestine and Jordan)

Serves 4

Arab yogurt and vegetable dishes are as old as time itself. Every town and city has its own versions and the number of these recipes is endless. The vegetable and seasoning ingredients may be interchanged with others or omitted to suit the diner's taste. No matter what changes are made, the yogurt always makes them appetizing.

1 large eggplant, peeled, then quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
Salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch cayenne

Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt; then place in a strainer, top with a weight (say a VW Beetle), and allow to drain for 45 minutes.

Heat the oil in a frying pan; then sauté the eggplant slices over medium heat, turning them over, until they brown (yada, yada, yada...) adding more oil if necessary. Place the eggplant slices on paper towels and allow to drain; then arrange them on a serving dish and set aside to cool. (The paper towels or the eggplant??)
Make a sauce (ah. Finally the nitty-gritty) by mixing the yogurt, garlic, coriander leaves, pepper, cayenne, and salt. Spoon the sauce over the eggplant slices, or serve separately.

(From: From the Lands of Figs and Olives)

...and there you have it. I note a similar recipe from Afghanistan I've got uses snipped mint, rather than cilantro. Just a thought, anyway...

Oh, but you wanted a vinaigrette kinda thing. Well, I DO have one for roasted asparagus with a raspberry vinaigrette. Thing is, the recipe calls for a California product, so unless you can get your hands on some raspberry vinegar, there's little point in posting. Let me know if you're interested. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[emilycat]

Ooh, that raspberry vinaigrette sounds really good -- and I do happen to have some raspberry vinegar -- think ya wouldn't mind sharing the recipe?

Thanks to the rest of you, too! Keep 'em coming!

[djoygirl]

Hi Emilycat! I have been helped by many, many, many of your posts, so I hope this is helpful for you http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

This is from a book called Vegetable Heaven, and I like it b/c it has dill in it, so it's a little different from most mustard-based vinaigrettes.

2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
2 T. prepared mustard (the grainy kind)
3 T. minced fresh parsley
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 c. apple juice
1 t. salt
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

Whisk everything together really well, and drizzle over roasted veggies or salad.

[AndreaU]

For something very simple- how about balsamic viniagrette? I use it all the time when I grill veggies. There is also this marinade I get when I head back to Buffalo called Chiavetta's. It's a vinegar based marinade with wonderful herbs and spices (hard to describe). It works great on anything- meat, fish or veggies! They sell it on this website: http://www.buffalofoods.com and at any supermarket in Buffalo!

[JennieL]

This is one of my favorites. It's always received great reviews from guests. Three layers would be really tall! I usually do two layers of each.

Grilled Eggplant Napoleon with Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 yellow tomatoes
2 red tomatoes
2 medium eggplant
4 slices goat cheese
1/2 roasted red bell pepper
3 T. basil
garlic (a couple of cloves, depending on your preference)

Blanch tomatoes in hot water for 30 seconds, then cool under running water.
Peel off skin and slice tomatoes into rings.

Slice eggplant to form round shape. Marinate in olive oil (I use just enough to coat), basil and garlic for 15 minutes, then grill until done. Save marinade for tomatoes.

Building of napoleon: eggplant, yellow tomato, red tomato, repeat 3 times.
Top off with slices of goat cheese and roasted bell pepper.

Drizzle basil oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.

BALSAMIC VINEGAR DRESSING

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 shallot
1/2 garlic clove
4 ounces balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey


Blend ingredients in blender, then add 12 ounces olive oil slowly. Add salt
and pepper to taste.

[Gail]

Oops. I didn't notice it actually calls for black raspberry vinegar.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH BLACK RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE

Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, tough stems snapped off
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper in a mill (those mills cook up pretty darn tough, if you ask me)

BLACK RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE
3 tablespoons Kozlowski Farms**black raspberry vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of ground clove (coochie-coochie coo)
Pinch of sugar (see above)
Kosher salt (Yarmulke optional)
Black pepper in a mill
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups fresh red raspberries

Preheat the oven to 475º F.

Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and then toss lightly with your fingers until the spears are all coated with a bit of oil. Season with salt and several turns of black pepper, and roast until the asparagus is just tender, about 7 to 8 minutes for thin spears, about 12 minutes for thicker ones.

In a small bowl, mix together the raspberry vinegar, garlic, ground cloves, and sugar. Season with slat (salt would be even better) and several turns of black pepper, and then stir in the olive oil. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Arrange the asparagus on a large serving platter, spoon the vinaigrette over, and then top with the raspberries. Serve immediately, or cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

To drink: (isn't it nice they provide this for you?) Kunde Sauvignon Blanc; Crane Cellars 1998 White Crane.

(From: The New Cooks Tour of Sonoma)

**Just for your information, Kozlowski Farms is a small family-owned business in Forestville, CA, which specializes in wonderful no-sugar added jams and preserves (the BEST apple butter!), flavored vinegars, mustards, salad dressings and an awfully good barbecue sauce made with California Cabernet. They've got a web site if you're interested, and they do mail-order business.
...and no, I DON'T own stock. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

So, hop to it and cover up those naked little veggies!

[Julie A]

Emilycat,
One of my favorites is 1/4 cup OJ, rosemary (I forget how much, I think 1 tsp dried), 2 T olive oil, salt & pepper, 4 cloves garlic, with 8 cups vegetables. I've only tried this with autumn vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, onion, butternut). I'm don't think it would be as good with summer veggies, but I wanted to share it because it's all I have and you're always so helpful. Also, it's yummy!
When roasting summer veggies, I find a garlic Mrs Dash and oil is great.
Gertdog, I just love the goat cheese idea - that's my favorite cheese, and I never thought to use it that way.
Good luck!
Julie

[emilycat]

Y'all, these all sound so awesome -- I'm printing them all off today.
Gail, thanks so much for typing that up for me -- hm. Maybe it'll work with regular raspberry vinegar?
Jennie, I'm especially excited about the eggplant Napoleon; it looks just like this terrine that I had at the L'Ecole, the restaurant of the French Culinary Insitute in NYC.
Oh, and browneye, I do have Low-fat Favorites; I glad you pointed out those recipes!
Thanks again everyone! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 05-18-2001).]

[luv2cook]

Emily, how about just plain balsalmic vinegar? I use it on onions, squashes, bell peppers and it's great!

[gertdog]

Hi all,

This thread made me crave roasted veggies, so we made them last night for dinner. We did the usual veggies (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, garlic, and tomato) but we didn't have any goat cheese. We did, however, have some feta that was begging to be used up, so I made the feta aioli from the CL greek burger recipe. YUM! Served over polenta, this was terrific!

[jillmayre]

Roasted Vegetables -- Two Variations

ITALIAN DRESSING
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons minced fresh (Or 2 to 3 teaspoons dried)
Italian herb mix (e.g. basil, oregano, parsley, thyme)
1 teaspoon salt

ORIENTAL DRESSING
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

This recipe calls for vegetables cut into 1"chunks or slices. Choose at least four vegetables, keeping in mind color, texture and flavor. Possibilities include potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, winter squash, parsnips, bell peppers, onions.

Some of our favorite vegetable combinations: 2 potatoes, 2 carrots, 1 large onion, 1-2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green), 2 small zucchini, 2 small yellow squash.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

To make the dressing of your choice, either whisk together the ingredients in a bowl or puree them until smooth in a blender or food processor.

Toss the vegetables well with the dressing. Place the vegetables in a single layer on a large unoiled baking tray and bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

Per 6.50-oz. Serving (Both Variations Are Within 1 Gram of One Another in Fat, Protein, And Fiber Content):

169 Calories, 3.4 G Protein, 2.8 G Fat, 34.1 G Carbohydrates , .4 G Saturated Fatty Acids, 1.2 G. Polyunsaturated Fatty acids, 1.0 Monounsaturated Fatty acids, 0 mg Cholesterol, 742 Mg Sodium, 4.1 G Total Dietary Fiber


pp. 226-7 Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

[Jessica]

This is not really a recipe, but I have drizzled roasted veggies with a small amount of melted chevre. You can add rosemary or another herb to the chevre, if you want. A little goes a long way so there is not too much added fat.