“What’s your least favorite food?” This has to be one of the most popular questions when filling out a profile, during the first day of school or maybe in a round of “getting to know you” games. For most, it’s usually a vegetable. For me, it was always brussel sprouts and eggplant. Then came my delicious deliverance. I began roasting my vegetables! Just a few drops of olive oil, salt and pepper, and I could no longer resist my vegetables, even brussel sprouts or eggplant. Had my oven become a magic meal makeover machine that turned mushy vegetables into brilliantly caramelized-tasting treasures? For now, let’s go with that.
On a whim, I picked up a can of chickpeas on the way home today. Yes, I realize most people pick up milk or bread or some sort of normal staple item. Sometimes you just have to mix it up. Thus, tonight’s dinner venture was an open-faced hummus sandwich with slices of roasted carrots. The honey oatmeal bread was the first product of my new favorite kitchen toy: a chrome-colored stand mixer.
(Beautiful, isn't she?!)
Anyway, back to the sandwich. For the spread, I made my go-to hummus, cilantro lime, and then piled on the slices of tender, roasted carrot. If carrots aren’t your fancy, roasted chicken could also be a good option, maybe even turkey. The way this sandwich was going, it might give the hot brown a run for its money!
Roasting is easy. Preheat your oven to 375, that part stays the same. Then, depending on the size and thickness of your veggies, cook for anywhere between 10 minutes (asparagus, maybe broccoli) and 25-30 minutes (carrots, parsnips, brussel sprouts, etc.). It’s really about your preference on tenderness. So be sure to check on them periodically with the old poke-‘em-with-a-fork test.
My advice is to roast off a bunch of carrots for the week and then use them throughout your other dishes during the week. Toss them with some pasta, parmesan, and a little parsley; chop them up with some red bell peppers and add them to a breakfast omelet; drizzle some honey or reduced balsamic vinegar over top and eat them as a sweet side dish.
I love a bargain as much as the next guy, but some cheap things must be bought on principle. Take, for example, an $8 deep fryer we found at a thrift store. Sure, it’s not going to produce anything overtly healthy (so far we have fried tortillas, pickles, saltines, and beignets – no regrets so far); but at least by the end of exams, your brain won’t be the only thing breaded and fried.
Our deep fryer was full of possibility, easily outdoing any dorm’s vending machine as the best junk food machine around. Some were skeptical – “What are you going to do with it?” Better question, what were we NOT going to do with it. Visions of sugarplum fairies have nothing on beer-battered shrimp, crispy fried chicken, or fried dough. Soft corn tortillas, the precursor to a perfect dipping vessel, were on sale for about $3 a package of 30, so we picked one up. When we returned home, and cut each individual tortilla into 4 slices, we realized we had way more than a lot of chips.
A ritual was born: finish an exam or paper, and then start up the deep fryer. The reserve brain power we had left was enough to absently plop soft tortillas into our cauldron of scalding oil and watch them emerge as hot, honey-golden crisps. After a quick sprinkle of salt, they offered the perfect salty crunch to kick started our fading minds. But we weren’t finished yet. We wanted something to go with it… Chips + dips=bliss. (Unfortunately, I saw none of these equations on my finals)
The fridge revealed a Mexican powerhouse trio: jalapeno, lime and cilantro. Initially, we had planned on having guacamole and salsa on separate nights. But with the copious chip count, we wanted both. We upped the ante, added hummus to the dip list, and made all three for dinner. Each incorporated the three fresh ingredients, but had a uniquely defined character. Arranged elegantly on a long plate, we treated ourselves to velvety guacamole, vibrant salsa, and creamy hummus. Served cold, it was the kind of meal you could enjoy when it’s too hot for anything heavy. Although we had it as a dinner, it would also be an excellent appetizer before a meal of grilled chicken or flank steak.
Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 avocados, mashed
1 lime, juiced
¾ cup cilantro, finely diced
½ small onion, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 tsp salt (to taste)
¼ tsp cumin
Instructions:
1.Mash avocados into a paste.
2.Mix in the rest of the ingredients, and chill. Place plastic wrap over the guacamole (even when in a sealed container) to preserve freshness and color.
Makes about 2 cups.
Fresh Salsa
Ingredients:
1 (14.5 oz) can organic tomatoes, diced
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
½ red onion, finely diced
½ cup corn, frozen but brought to room temperature
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans
½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1.Mix together all ingredients. Serve chilled.
Makes about 4 cups.
Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
Ingredients:
1 (14.5 oz) can garbanzo beans, reserve drained liquid
1 T tahini
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
½ cup cilantro, chopped
Lime juice
Cumin
Salt
Instructions:
1.Remove as many skins from beans as possible.
2.Place beans into food processor or blender. Blend, adding reserve bean liquid when needed. Should come out looking like a thick, beige paste.
3.Add tahini, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro to blender.
