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{Week 20 Vegetable Double Challenge: Beets & Sweet Potatoes}

7/24/2012

A double veggie recipe, as an attempt to make up for the lack of veggies lately...

I've been successfully avoiding beets for a few months now... My friend, Lexi, recommended this recipe to me, but something about beets is intimidating to me... Maybe because it's in the root family and I haven't been a huge fan of these root plants.

I finally saw fresh local beets at the farmers market 2 weeks ago. They are nice and small, which make me think that they'd be more tender. They've been living in my fridge since then because it's been way too hot to turn on the oven!

But tonight, these little puppies are about to become Roasted Beets n Sweets!

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-beets-n-sweets/

I'm not going to lie... washing the beets was really gross because those roots feel exactly like a rat's tail. Well, I've never touched a rat's tail, but I imagine it would feel just like that. Not a very appetizing start, beets!

And I did get out the gloves... dyed pink hands wouldn't go with my outfit for work tomorrow.

Beets are so bright when they're peeled and chopped! This picture looks a little like raw meat, but I promise it's not.

Good thing I wore the gloves! Oh, side note for those of you who have also never eaten a beet - it might make you pee pink tomorrow... I haven't experienced it, but have been told that it's normal. And after seeing how they stain your skin and anything else, it doesn't surprise me.

Much less scary, sweet potatoes, I'm back in my comfort zone... these aren't all that different from preparing regular potatoes.

All seasoned up! Yum!

All mixed up and ready to roast!

All caramelized and crispy from roasting... The beets are a little less scary with the sweet potatoes and onions in there to help even them out.

Trying a beet all by itself, I'm a little leery....

Annnnnd... I survived! I may not plan on making beets all by themselves anytime soon, but they weren't horrible.

Sometimes mixing flavors together is a better way for me to buy into it... Even with other veggies, I like to have a "shish-kebob" - aka a little of each flavor at once!

And the shish-kebob method was much more successful! The whole dish was quite sweet, maybe a tad too sweet, I'd probably knock the sugar down next time. But overall, it wasn't bad, especially with the veggies mixed together.

Verdict? Semi-success! Not a fan yet of beets on their own, but this recipe made me give them a shot and I even kind of liked them! And sweet potatoes? They're not hard to like :)

Thanks for the recipe Lexi!

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{Week 19 Vegetable Challenge: Green Squash / Little Zucchini - Take 2}

5/4/2012

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So I still had another zuke that needed used this week... and I thought I'd try another recipe. I'm going to roast this guy... Roasted Zucchini.

Recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-zucchini-364844

The italian seasoning, garlic & chili flakes look delish!

Lined up and ready to roast!

Finished product...

Verdict? Semi-success... I still don't love the sometimes spongy texture of zucchini by itself, and this recipe made them a little mushy on top of that... So I probably wouldn't have finished it on it's own, but I also made broccoli, and when I ate the two together, they were pretty good! So yes, semi-success!

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{Week 14 Vegetable Challenge: Carrots, not the baby kind}

3/7/2012

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This is kind of a vegetable re-do because my previous baby carrot recipe was a no-go. I was told that real carrots have much better flavor than baby carrots.

So I bought big fat carrots from the farmer's market.

And I bought little skinny carrots from the farmer's market.

And then I let them sit in my refrigerator for the past 2 weeks, because I really didn't want to eat carrots. Yes, I fell off the horse for a little here, but I got my act back together, made the darn carrots and I'm ready to move on! PS - the carrots are so much nicer looking when they still have the greens on top.

So I peeled 'em, sliced 'em and dropped 'em in a Ziploc steam bag. Added 1T of water and some sea salt & ground pepper for a little flavor. I must say, these steam bags work quite well.

Freshly steamed and not crunchy! (Woo!)

Kate was willing to try them with me again. The skinny carrots were more tender than the big guys.

And I actually ate them! They weren't fabulous on their own, so I slathered some good old butter on them with a little extra sea salt, and that made them better! (What isn't better with a little butter?) Carrots, by far, are not my new favorite veggie, but at least I can say I've eaten them as a side! I'll probably keep them in my soups or maybe mixed with other veggies.

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{Week 10 Vegetable Challenge: Edamame, Shelled vs. Pods}

1/24/2012

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I have to thank my Aunt Mary who suggested I try edamame! I've had it once before at a hibachi grill (and thank you to Jess, who got me to try it at the hibachi grill!) but I've never made it myself. I never seen them fresh in the store, but my aunt told me that they are really good frozen too!

We like spicy food, so with the pre-shelled version, I decided to try a Spicy Roasted Edamame recipe...

(They are still frozen in this picture)

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-roasted-edamame/detail.aspx

They looked yummy coming out of the oven...

And I gave them a shot...

But they left something to be desired, at least with this recipe. They weren't too bad, but not good enough to make again. The combinations of seasoning must be missing something. I followed some reviews and cooked them a little longer and they were still chewy. Luckily, I still had the pods to try the next night!

You can't get much easier than this. Pop the bag in the microwave, already seasoned with sea salt and you're good to go! No recipe needed.

I let them cool and we snacked on them with our meal. I hear they are good refrigerated as a snack too.

Note: You do NOT eat the pod... I must have forgotten to tell Brandon that part - it's not as edible as the beans. You just bite the pod and slide the beans into your mouth to eat!

And the verdict?? Yum!!! I'll try the shelled version again, but the ones in the pods are such a delicious snack! In this case, simple is definitely better!

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{Week 7 Vegetable Challenge: Black Eyed Peas}

1/1/2012

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I decided to try a Southern dish that is usually served on New Year's for good luck (since I wasn't really into saur kraut for this week's challenge), it's called Hoppin John... I used both of the following recipes:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/hoppin_john/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/hoppin-john-recipe/index.html

Seriously, I love how cute these little buggers are...

No time today for a good "after" pic of the cooked dish, but I recruited my cousin and her friend to try these with me...

Verdict? Not terrible... For some reason, it seemed a little bland, which I wasn't expecting from a Southern dish. Maybe I missed something, but I definitely didn't hate the peas, so they have hope! I may try tweaking this recipe again in the future or looking for another Black Eyed Peas recipe!

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{Week 4 Vegetable Challenge: Snap Peas}

12/11/2011

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Okay - pop quiz! Which one is a sugar snap pea? Well, first I bought the ones on the left, which I know are Snow Peas, but the ones on the right I found later, and they were called Snap Peas... none actually called Sugar Snap Peas, at least according to the stands at the farmers market... Are one of these a Sugar Snap Pea?

And I guess I already have my next veggie with the Snow Peas since I ended up buying both, huh?

These are a baked/roasted recipe for snap peas. Mostly new ingredients to me, which is maybe a little dangerous because when I don't like a certain taste, I can't pinpoint which taste I don't like... This used Peas, Shallots, Thyme & Olive Oil.

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sugar-snap-peas/detail.aspx

Fresh out of the oven!

Having a little "green" on our places makes it look so much more balanced! Served with lemon garlic tilapia and four cheese pasta.

And trying the first bite... The verdict? Not terrible, but in my opinion, not amazing. There was a taste that I call "gardeny" that I can't put my finger on... I think maybe it was the thyme. I was able to eat my whole portion on my plate and I'll definitely try making snap peas again, but I already have a different recipe lined up. I'll save that for another week. (At least I have the Pumpkin Gems to wash them down!)

PS - Kate and Brandon liked it, but they aren't as picky as me. And Kate likes to eat these babies raw anyway.

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Author

Hi, I'm Cassie. I am a self-proclaimed, VERY, picky eater. I spent my childhood eating a select handful of foods, my early and mid 20's "learning to like new foods" (but not much in terms of veggies...) Now in my late 20's I'm teaching myself to like vegetables. Or at least attempting... ;)

Come along and maybe you'll find something new to try too!

...Or at least get a few chuckles out of the craziness that ensues in my kitchen...

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{Week 20 Vegetable Double Challenge: Beets & Sweet Potatoes}

{Week 19 Vegetable Challenge: Green Squash / Little Zucchini - Take 2}

{Week 14 Vegetable Challenge: Carrots, not the baby kind}

{Week 10 Vegetable Challenge: Edamame, Shelled vs. Pods}

{Week 7 Vegetable Challenge: Black Eyed Peas}

{Week 4 Vegetable Challenge: Snap Peas}

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