roasted vegetables

Truth be told, I’ve been a little obsessed lately with Roasted Red Peppers. They’re showing up everywhere… dressings, salads, recipes everywhere. I’ve even been stashing a few to try, including the one below.

Holy Hannah! This dip blows away any other dip that I’ve made. It’s got just 1 cup of sour cream, but gets a LOT of volume from canned roasted red peppers (in water.) It also picks up a TON of additional flavor from basil and cilantro… Seriously amazing.

I can’t wait to hear what you guys think when you try this one. I made it on Sunday night with my veggies, and REALLY wished there was a way to capture that delicious scent in this post.

Where is scratch and sniff when I need it? You laugh, but it’s coming… but hopefully, it won’t be applied to all those sweaty workout posts I see around the web.

Roasted Red Pepper Veggie Dip

From Weight Watchers

Serves 10

INGREDIENTS

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

1 (15 oz) jar roasted red peppers, packed in water, drained

1/4 cup basil, fresh or in a tube

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp, cilantro, fresh or in a tube

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a food processor or blender, combine roasted peppers, sour cream, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Puree until smooth.

2. Add cilantro to the mix and pulse again. Note: The original recipe indicated this could be a garnish, but I just whipped it into the dip.

3. Serve with your favorite veggies and enjoy!

Per 1/4 cup serving:

CAL 38; CARB 3g; FAT 2g; PROT 2g; FIB 0g; WW Points Plus: 2

Fudge Brownie Spiced Mousse Minis

Mongolian Beef

Fresh Cucumber Salsa

It’s very possibly one of the most argued about of vegetables. People either love it or they hate it. I tend to be the optimist… I give the veggie a chance. I am very pro-BEET.

I decided to make it the recipe of the day today because it can divide a room faster than Obama and Romney.

Strangely, these two impressive politicians have weighed in on just about every topic known to man. They’ve professed their intentions. They’ve spent a gazillion dollars on TV ads and those paper ads that go from mailbox to trashcan at my house.

But, what I really want to know is… how about beets, boys??

These pink and golden root vegetables are some of my favorite. I remember as a kid growing up in Ohio that they served them everywhere. And, the salad bars that had them were my absolutely favorite…. because I would add ranch dressing and WAIT FOR IT… I would have PINK salad dressing. Uh-mazing! It’s always been the little things for me, truly…

Now, the beets that I grew up eating were the canned kind, sometimes pickled, and oh-so-delicious! Now, I still buy the canned kind, but I also like to pick up fresh beets when I’m at Whole Foods. They always seem to have the best selection. I’ve bought the red ones, the golden ones, and a beautiful pink striped one.

I’ve made beet chips

I made this amazing Beet-Avocado Arugula Salad

Today, I bring you an amazing beet sandwich that I seriously LOVE. It’s inspired by a local Denver vegetarian restaurant called Watercourse Foods. They make a sandwich that they call “The Champ” that could possibly be my favorite beet dish. Maybe… I like beets a LOT!

The Champ at Watercourse is served on an herby focaccia and also has swiss cheese, alfalfa sprouts, and grilled zucchini. My version lacks those ingredients, because it was a last minute decision to make this sandwich and I went with what was in my fridge. If you try my version of the Champ, I guarantee you are going to like it.

It’s a sandwich made for a president (with good taste)… it’s that good!

Roasted Beet Sandwich with Greek Yogurt “Aioli”

Inspired by “The Champ” at Watercourse Foods

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

1 Beet, sliced

1 6-inch Artisan Roll

Fresh Spinach

Red Onion, thinly sliced

Yellow Pepper, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. Greek Yogurt

1 tsp. Minced Garlic

1 tsp. Capers, drained

Cooking Spray

Salt, Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425. Place sliced beets on a cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the top of each slice with cooking spray and also sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Roast beets for 20 minutes, and then flip each beet over. Roast for an additional 20-25 minutes, until tender.

3. Prepare your bread. Note: My SuperTarget sells these awesome individual-sized Artisan breads. I sliced one horizontally to create my sandwich bread.

4. Combine 2 Tbsp. greek yogurt with 1 tsp. capers and 1 tsp. minced garlic. Add fresh ground black pepper, to taste. Note: I didn’t have Greek Yogurt on hand, so I used Skotidakis Greek Yogurt Dip (Dill & Cucumber) that I bought at Costco. If you use plain greek yogurt, consider adding some dried dill or other favorite dried spices to add flavor.

5. Spread yogurt mixture on the bread.

6. Add vegetables: sliced red onion, spinach leaves, and thinly sliced yellow pepper.

7. Add those gorgeous beets. Note: I roasted both beets that I had on hand, and used the remaining beets the next day. I chose the red beets only because they contrasted with the yellow pepper. Either color is delicious!

8. Close that sandwich and get ready to be WOW’ed!

I completely loved this sandwich. So much, that I made it a SECOND time on Sunday night. Please try it, and let me know what you think. Roasting the beets brings out their amazing sweet flavor. You’re going to love this one!