Roasted Asparagus

1 lb asparagus spears
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly grated black pepper
Lemon juice (or balsamic vinegar)

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Rinse the asparagus spears. If the ends are tough, break them off and either discard or save for stock. You can also use a vegetable peeler to peel away the tough outer skin of the fatter ends of the asparagus if you want.
2. Line a roasting pan with foil. Arrange the asparagus spears in a single layer on the lined roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and rub the spears all over with the olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced garlic, and rub over the asparagus spears to evenly distribute.
3. Roast for 10 minutes, more or less, depending on your particular oven and how thick the spears are, until the asparagus are just lightly browned and tender when you pierce them with a fork.
4. To serve, drizzle with fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, and if you want, a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.

Source: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_asparagus/

Crockpot Boston Baked Beans

3 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium onions, chopped finely, or 2 T dried minced onion (I used one sweet onion)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried mustard (I used 1+ tsp spicy mustard)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 pound of bacon, or equivalent (ex. chicken and apple sausage) - optional

1. Drain and rinse your beans, and add them to the crockpot. Add onion and brown sugar. Pour in the molasses and ketchup. Add spices. Stir to combine.
2. Lay slices of uncooked bacon over the top of the beans, or slice chicken and apple sausage and lay it over the top.
3. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or high for about 4. Discard the bacon after cooking, or mix in the sausage.

Source: A Year of Slow Cooking

Try #1 - February 6, 2011
These were great! I used dried pinto beans. After soaking the beans for about 6 hours, I cooked the them on Low in the crockpot overnight. In the morning, I drained the water and then added the other ingredients (except bacon - I made it vegetarian). It definitely didn't need the full 5-7 hours... I cooked it on Low for 2-3 hours, and then switched it to Warm to make sure the beans didn't get dried out.

Root Vegetable Mash

From Prevention magazine, Nov. 2010. A recipe from Mario Batali!

2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 medium turnips, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 medium onions, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 medium parsnips, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 2 oranges
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch chives, finely chopped

1. Bring the carrot, potato, turnip, onion, parsnip, sweet potato, and water to cover a boil in a 4-quart saucepan. Then lower to a simmer and cook until all the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes.
2. Drain the vegetables and pass through a food mill into a large bowl or mash thoroughly by hand. Stir in the cinnamon, oil, and orange zest and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives and serve.

Try #1 - November 5, 2010
I made this without the parsnips or turnips (not something we usually have lying around the house...), and it turned out well. I also left out the orange zest and chives... so, I only used about half of the actual ingredients. :) Still good, and a good alternative to traditional mashed potatoes!

Foil-wrapped Grilled Vegetables

1.Coarsely chop your veggies into bit size pieces.
2.Drizzle over olive oil generously and lightly toss the vegetables to coat.
3.Sprinkle with herbs, freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste. Lightly toss to distribute.
4.Lay out one or two layers of aluminum foil on your work surface. Pile up the vegetables in the middle. If you are making more than a couple cups worth of vegetables, separate them into separate foil packets.
5.Either fold the foil around the vegetables and secure on top or lay another layer of foil on top and bunch up the edges to secure it. You want your foil packet of vegetables to be closed on all sides. Also be sure that where you close the foil is facing upward. If the seam is on the bottom of the packet or facing down, your oil and other liquids will simply drip out into your grill.
6.Up to this point, you can prepare your vegetable packets slightly ahead of time while you prepare other food or prepare the grill or fire pit. Do not leave the vegetables sitting in the oil for more than a couple hours however.
7.Put your grilled vegetable foil packets directly on your hot grill. After some time they will start to steam and sizzle.
8.Cooking time varies depending on the hardness of the vegetables (more time if hard veggies like potato and carrot are included), the size of the pieces, the size of your packets and the heat of your grill. In very general terms, you will need at least 10 minutes of cooking time and up to 30 to 40 minutes if you have large pieces of potato or carrot which need time to soften. You can also cook more or less to your taste if you like your veggies more well done and soft or more on the crisp and fresh side.
9.If all else fails, remove your foil packet from the grill to a plate or platter (I find a large spatula the best way to do this without the foil packet breaking or falling open). Carefully open the packet (the steam will be hot!) and check your veggies for doneness. If they are not done to your liking, simply wrap them back up tightly and put back on the grill for a while longer.
10.When done, remove the veggies to a serving bowl or platter and discard the foil. Taste for salt and pepper and add some if needed.
11.Your grilled vegetable dish is now ready to serve alongside the rest of your delicious grilled recipes!

Roasted Carrots

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (I did 375 degrees, since that's the temperature I had the oven at for chicken and potatoes.)
2. Cut the carrots into quarters.
3. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray.
4. Arrange carrots in a single layer on the baking sheet.
5. Drizzle olive oil over the carrots and sprinkle a few pinches of salt and dashes of dried thyme over them. (I just sprayed the carrots with olive oil cooking spray for convenience sake.)
6. Place in the oven for 45 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

Try #1 - April 16, 2010
Roasting the carrots brings out the sugars and makes them sweet and delicious! I served this with roast chicken and roasted potatoes.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

From www.wholefoodsmarket.com

8 medium sized red potatoes (I used russet)
2 tablespoons canola oil (I used olive oil)
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, or 2 teaspoons dried
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method #1: Preheat oven to 375°F. Quarter potatoes and steam for 5 to 8 minutes, until slightly tender. Put potatoes in a mixing bowl and coat with oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Place evenly on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Method #2: Preheat oven to 375°F. Quarter potatoes, put in a mixing bowl and coat with oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Place evenly on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Try #1 - April 16, 2010
I used method #2, and the potatoes took about an hour, just like the directions said. They were delicious! Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside. Perfect! Served with roast chicken and roasted carrots.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

I saw this recipe in Prevention magazine (Apr. 2010) and decided to try it because it looked simpler (and maybe healthier?) than the recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. However, the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens was really good, so if this doesn't match up, I'll be returning to that one. :)

2 lbs all-purpose potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese (5 oz)
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set oven rack to top position.
2. Layer potatoes and cheese in a well-oiled 8in. x 8in. baking dish, ending with cheese on top. Season each potato layer with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
3. Pour in milk. Drizzle oil over potatoes and cheese.
4. Bake on top rack of oven until bubbly and golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Try #1 - March 31, 2010
This was good - definitely not as creamy as the BH&G recipe, but still good. I did, however, probably use almost double the amount of cheese it called for, so it was kind of greasy (but also delicious)... so not sure if it's actually any healthier than the creamy version. :) But it was definitely easier to make, so that's a plus. The fresh ground pepper also made it really good.