Lemony Roasted Asparagus

Spring is here and that means it is the height of asparagus season. Now, asparagus isn't really my favorite veggie, I'm a little more obsessed with green beans, but there is a lot to love about asparagus.

It's tasty, it adapts to different seasonings well, and its quick to cook.

Here is one of my go-to spring side dishes. The lemon and garlic flavor match well with just about any main dish and, best of all, this is ridiculously easy to throw together.

Lemony Roasted Asparagus
From: Me =)
Time: about 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
One bunch of asparagus
3 tbsp of olive oil
the juice of one lemon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
.5 tsp black pepper
one lemon, sliced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Prep a baking sheet by lightly spraying with olive oil to prevent sticking or break out a trusty Silpat. Arrange lemon slices evenly on the baking sheet.

Toss all other ingredients together in a bowl.

Arrange asparagus on the baking sheet, trying to make sure no pieces overlap. Pour any remaining juice/seasoning over the asparagus.

Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring once to prevent sticking and promote even browning.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 109, Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Sodium 599 mg, Total Carbohydrate 4 g, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g, Protein 2 g.

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Roasted Vegetables

Roasting is my favorite. I'm not shy about it. Roasting makes everything better. Crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside? It doesn't get any better. #roastallthethings

Seriously though, along with being delicious, roasting is easy. Basically, it involves:
1. Insert in oven 
2. Walk away 
3. Wait 
4. Enjoy deliciousness

Besides maybe the waiting part that is about as easy as it gets!

Cooking Light included this recipe for roasted vegetables in the March 2015 issue. I got pretty excited when I saw it. (I'm also not shy about my love for most veggies.) The article is about cooking once to make meals for a week easier. I skipped over all that and focused on the allure of yummy veggies hot out of the oven.

Their recipe makes a LOT of roasted veggies, about 12 cups. They also use butternut squash, and despite my pretty general love for veggies I am not a squash person. I adapted the recipe slightly to my (and S') taste and to make a few less servings. 

As you can see from the photo I also chose not to serve with chicken. I have nothing against chicken, but steak + roasted veggies? This was like the best Tuesday night at our house in a while. Get roasting people, there isn't much time left (not log at all for those of us here in sunny, SoCal) to use our ovens before the weather separates the truly dedicated (read: me) from those who don't enjoy sweating while cooking every meal.

Roasted Vegetables
From: Cooking Light, adapted by me
Servings: 8 servings (about 1 cup servings)
Time: about 45 minutes, all-in

Ingredients:
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 red onions, cut into 1 inch wedges
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (1/2 - 1 inch cubes)
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper

Directions:
Place two baking sheets in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. (Yup, leave those pans in the oven to get nice and hot.)

Combine everything in a large mixing bowl and toss to coat evenly.

When your oven is at temperature, spread the veggies evenly onto both baking sheets. (Try not to get too excited by the sizzle they make on the hot baking sheets. That sound means this is going to be good.)

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through to prevent sticking. 

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 396, Total Fat 9 g, Saturated fat 1 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 183 mg, Potassium 1394 mg, Carbohydrates 67 g, Fiber 4 g, Sugars 31 g, Protein 1 g.

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Roasted Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic

We eat a lot of chicken in our house. Sometimes up to 3-4 times a week. So I’m always looking for healthy side dishes. Both S and I love green beans so this recipe gets thrown in the rotation quite a bit.

It’s easy. It’s fast. It uses ingredients I almost always have on hand. That makes it a winner. Oh, it’s also delicious! Only 75 calories a serving too!

Seriously, toss this together and get it in the oven and the beans roast while you get the rest of the meal made. The flavor isn’t too strong, the lemon and garlic definitely come through, but you won’t have to worry about this ‘clashing’ with the rest of your plate.

This is a solid, go to, keep-it-in-the-regular-rotation veggie side dish.

Throw everything in a bowl. Beans come next.

Before roasting.

After roasting. Time to eat!

Roasted Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic

From: Me =)

Time: about 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

-      12oz green beans or haricots verts (I regularly use frozen beans that have been defrosted.)

-          1 Tbsp of olive oil

-          ¼ Tsp salt

-          ¼ Tsp pepper

-          4 cloves of garlic, minced (We love garlic, you can add less or more depending on your taste.)

-          the juice of one lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large sheet pan. I spray mine with olive oil.

Add olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon juice to a large mixing bowl.

Add beans and toss until evenly coated.

Spread beans evenly on your sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes, stirring once, halfway through.

Done! That’s it. I told you it was easy. =)

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