Sweet Love and Ginger

Recipe

Balsamic Roast Veggie Toasts with Gruyere

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

This is a recipe for Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Toasts, a simple appetizer that does double duty as a great vegetarian meal.

Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Toasts

Winter is a time of soups, stews, roasts and sweets. Savory and filling are the stars this time of year, but it’s always this time of year that I want to bring a little freshness into my life. Things like lemon, balsamic vinegar and winter fruits are defiantly requirements in my house. They add a hint of brightness, complexity and freshness that so many meals this time of year are lacking.

This recipe is pretty adaptable in that it can easily be made into a sandwich, and eaten as a main dish or when cut to size it makes a wonderful appetizer to accompany most winter meals.

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

I love the way that the sweet balsamic melds with the stringy, salty gruyere. Using different vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, red pepper, onion or even roasted garlic only adds to the complexity of flavor and texture. I think this dish is so simple that it takes dinner party guests by surprise with its addictive flavor.

It’s also a good way to get young ones to eat their vegetables.

Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Toasts

Balsamic Roast Veggie Toasts
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16 Servings
Ingredients
  • 8 oz broccoli florets
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced thick
  • 1 small red onion, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus 1 tablespoon)
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 slices sourdough bread, halved (or quartered depending on preference)
  • 12 oz shredded soft gruyere cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425F.
  2. Spread the veggies out on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic, salt pepper and toss well to coat. Place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the veggies have softened and begun to caramelize, tossing once halfway through. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. On a separate baking sheet spread the bread slices out and lightly brush with olive oil and place in the oven until crisp and golden, about 22 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
  4. After the bread has rested carefully divide the veggies up evenly on each toast. Top with cheese and place back in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
  5. Serve immediately.

Similar Recipes:

Pear & Brie Toasts

Pear & Brie Toasts

Engagement Tart

Engagement Tart

4-Cheese-Red-Pepper-Dip

4 Cheese Red Pepper Dip

Leftover Turkey & Stuffing Casserole

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Leftover Turkey & Stuffing Casserole

This is my version of one of my favorite childhood recipes, though I used to call it something a little less savory. You see this dish never really had the best looks since it’s all kind of monochromatic. I used to think it looked like vomit, which is not something you want to think about before you put the thing in your mouth, but in reality it was always a house favorite, because it’s delicious….

Read More

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta & Balsamic

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

This is a recipe for a roasted beet salad that is full of flavor and tons of greens!

Roasted Beet Salad

I’m not going to lie beets are kind of a new thing around our house. Aside from the token serving of Harvard beets at the holidays at Momma Chuck’s house I had never really been exposed to them. That Harvard beet recipe is delicious by the way; I’m just told it’s a lot of work.

 

Honestly I think I was afraid of them. That sounds ridiculous but let me explain. Beets are messy, and  they stain everything. They have a very strong flavor and what the hell do you cook with them? However since I started this whole Part Time Vegetarian thing that I waxed on about earlier this week I have gotten so much more adventurous with my foods.

I don’t know where but somewhere I read that our ancestors ate something like 150 ingredients in a week and the modern western diet includes 20 items. Based on this idea I can’t believe that we are getting all the vitamins and nutrients that we need from these 20 items alone. There are so many more fruits and vegetables available for me locally than I often eat so I’m kind of on a quest to try them all and add them to my regular diet. If I eat more varied stuff I eat regularly the more good stuff I can get in my body from nature and therefore hopefully gain a higher functioning, healthier body. Right? Isn’t that the goal? I think it is.

Roasted Beet Salad

So anyway that’s why I decided to try beets and as it turns out they are actually pretty good. Chuck even approves. So far I have roasted them up with a bunch of other vegetables and with this salad. What I really like about this salad is that it’s unique and can be served as a great starter for just about any fall dinner. The ton of antioxidants and health food power in it is just a bonus.

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta & Balsamic
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 6 small beets, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup baby arugula
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup baby Swiss chard
  • 2 cups kale, chopped
  • 4 ounces feta cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Toss the beets with oil, salt, pepper and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice. Should be tender when poked with a fork. Sprits with lemon juice and let stand for 3 to 4 minutes.
  3. For the Dressing: In a small bowl combine the balsamic vinegar, Dijon, honey, and olive oil until well combined.
  4. In a large serving bowl toss the lettuces together. Top with beets and crumbled feta.
  5. Serve with dressing on the side.

 

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza with Lemon

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

This is a recipe for a vegan Honey Chili Veggie Pizza with Lemon that can easily be made vegan and makes for a great appetizer.

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza

Before we dive into today’s recipe I want to take a moment to mention Food Blogger Pro, a website dedicated to helping food bloggers learn, grow, & monetize your blog. Membership enrollment will close on November 19th, and not be available again until spring 2016, with total membership being capped at 2,000 members! Don’t wait join now before you miss out.

Now on to this cheese-less sauce-less pizza.

This is an interesting one. I came up with it on a whim as I was trying to come up with new and interesting appetizer’s that are dairy free. Why dairy free you ask? Because one of our close friends has an allergy. I always make it a point to bring something that she can have, because that’s what good friends do, plus it gives me an excuse to flex my creative cooking muscles. As it turned out this pizza is actually vegan and makes a great appetizer!

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza

This pizza came together quite easily and I was pleased with the results, as was the rest of the crowd. I actually got the idea from another Blue Apron Recipe. My favorite part of that recipe was the honey chili and I thought that the cheese kind of took away from that, because well cheese is delicious and tends to steal the show. So in remaking this recipe I decided to go cheese less and on that same note I went sauce less too, using sliced whole tomatoes instead. I think this made the whole thing a lot fresher.

All in all I think this is a great summer/early fall recipe, since it’s light and fresh and would go wonderfully with a nice chilled glass of sauvignon blanc. Now picture that on your back patio? Good scene right?

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza

For the pizza dough you can use a pre-made store bought version or make your own. I really like this recipe and use it for pretty much all my pizzas. To make it vegan swap out the honey for maple syrup or agave.

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 6
Ingredients
  • 1 lb plain pizza dough recipe
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus more)
  • 3-4 gloves of garlic, minced
  • 8 ounces baby spinach, chopped
  • 1 tomato sliced thin
  • ¼ red onion, sliced thing
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ teaspoon cracked red pepperflakes
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
  2. Lay the pizza out on a rimmed baking pan or pizza stone.
  3. In a large skillet heat oil and garlic over medium high heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic begins to brown and become fragrant. Remove from heat and use a brush to gently spread the garlic oil over the pizza dough until it is coated in a thin glossy layer.
  4. Add more oil to the pan if needed and return to heat. Stir in the spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside. Once cooled slightly use a strainer to press down the spinach and remove as much of the liquid as possible.
  5. Arrange the sliced tomato and onions on the pizza dough. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Spread the spinach over the top of the pizza.
  6. Place the pizza in the oven and cook for 18 minutes, or until the outer crust begins to brown.
  7. While the pizza cooks combine the honey, cracked red pepper and chili powder.
  8. Once browned remove the pizza from the oven and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle with honey chili combination and sprits with as much lemon juice as desired.
  9. Cut into slices and serve Immediately.

What are some of your favorite pizza toppings?

Light Vegetable Chowder

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

A light and healthy recipe for vegetable chowder that warms from the inside out while still being low in calories.

Light Vegetable Chowder

Chili, rainy days have come on strong in the north east.

This is the season when most people grumble and groan about cold weather, mud puddles, raking leaves and seasonal colds that float around. I, on the other hand revel in this season. The smell of fresh rain, the way my hair curls more than usual, there is plenty of reason to cuddle under blankets, drink hot tea and eat soup. Really I love this season.

I also really love soup, though Chuck isn’t quite as big a fan; he prefers something that he can sink his teeth into. I could eat soup all year round if allowed. Minestrone or Chicken and Dumplings are definitely my favorites. A Couple weekends ago while he was off hunting I made myself a big batch of vegetable chowder, enough to last me the weekend and then some. It was one of my better ideas since it was healthy, filling warm, and easy to reheat.

I pureed some cauliflower to thicken the soup and reduce the amount of cream and flour. Then I added all my favorite vegetables and spices. I made some homemade bread (recipe coming soon hopefully) to slurp up every last bit. It was the perfect dish for a chilly weekend.

Light Vegetable Chowder

 

Light Vegetable Chowder
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 Servings
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth, divided
  • 3 cups of cauliflower florets
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped fine
  • 1 tablespoon flower
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 Sprig of thyme
  • 1 russet potato, peeled & chopped
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
Instructions
  1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large thick bottomed sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir in half of the onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Cook for one minute and stir in 2 cups of vegetable broth and 2 cups of cauliflower florets. Cover and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is for tender. Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
  2. In the same pan add the rest of the butter and onion and saute for 1 to 2 minutes or until the onion is soft and fragrant. Stir in the garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the flour and cook, while whisking until browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, milk, bay leaf, thyme, potato, cauliflower, and broccoli. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Add the pureed cauliflower to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
  4. Adjust seasonings and serve.
Clean Corn Chowder

Clean Corn Chowder

Irish Vegetable Soup

Irish Vegetable Soup

Tuscan Bean Soup

Tuscan Bean Soup