November 23rd, 2009

Sometimes the Simplest Meals are the Most Delicious

I am a nutritionist to be, yes, but I am also a FOODIE in a big way. And as a foodie and a wanna-be cook, I sometimes find myself making meals that are much more complicated than they need to be.

I often forget that the simplest things can be the tastiest.

Remember the beautiful carrots I picked up at the market yesterday?

When I got home I tried to think of all the elaborate meals I could create with carrots.

Then I remembered the man who sold them to me recommended roasting them. He said they would caramelize and their natural sweetness would come out.

It seemed so simple.

I cleaned the carrots and sliced them in half. Then I laid them out on a baking sheet.

I drizzled them with a bit of EVOO, a couple drops of agave and a sprinkling of cumin.

I put them in an oven at 350 alongside a baked pasta and veggie dish I had cooking.

Simple Baked Pasta and Veggies
Cook pasta (I used brown rice pasta) until just before al dente. Steam vegetables (I used peppers, zucchini and mushrooms) until almost soft. Heat up good tomato sauce and mix together with pasta and veggies.
Transfer mixture into a small baking dish and top with shredded cheese (I used goat gouda).
Bake in an oven at 350 for about 35 minutes. For the last minute you can set the oven to broil to get the cheese nice and bubbly and brown (but watch it CAREFULLY!).

I cooked the carrots for about 30 minutes. If you want them softer, I’d suggest cooking them a bit longer (45 minutes).

Our dinner:
(sorry about the flash!)

The carrots were amazing. Naturally sweet and soft, just the perfect side dish.
I highly recommend making some roasted carrots.

And the baked pasta was great as well. So simple, yet so delicious.

BF definitely enjoyed this meal. Although, I think it left him a tad hungry I ended up making him some homemade chips and guacamole (recipe to come) to snack on while we watched the Curb Your Enthusiasm finale (which was hilarious btw).