easy, colorful roasted veggies + potatoes

Posted on September 4, 2015 by dallaswoodburn

As we soak up these final end-of-summer days before the autumn sets in, I have found myself wanting to spend as much time as possible outside. Taking long walks, sipping tea out on the back porch, watching the sunset, breathing in the fresh air. I particularly love those late afternoons/early evenings, when dusk sets in and the light has a magical hazy quality that seems especially magical in this transitional period between seasons.

During late autumn and wintertime, I love to cozy up in my kitchen baking or cooking. But right now, I’m in the mood for easy, throw-together meals that are still healthy and nutritious.

Enter these roasted veggies + potatoes.

This recipe comes from my mama and could not be simpler. All you have to do is chop, toss, and bake. I love how customizable it is based on whatever your favorite veggies are, or what’s in season. Plus, it looks beautiful — definitely a dish you could make for company or for a potluck and feel proud about. I think I’m gonna cook up a batch for myself tonight!

easy, colorful roasted veggies + potatoes

2 tbsp. olive oil
garlic powder
1 small bag of little red potatoes
2 carrots
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1/2 red onion
any other veggies of your choosing!

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Chop all the veggies and potatoes into relatively equal-sized pieces.

3. Pour them into a large Ziplock bag and add olive oil.

4. Zip closed and shake well until all the goodies are lightly coated with olive oil.

5. Spread the veggies and potatoes into an even layer onto a baking tray. Sprinkle generously with garlic powder {and/or other seasonings of your choosing.}

6. Roast veggies for 40-45 minutes. I recommend turning the veggies over with a spatula halfway through for even cooking.

7. When the potatoes are tender, everything is done! Remove from the oven and serve warm. Top with cheese if desired.

if you liked this post, you might also enjoy:
– oven roasted pumpkin seeds
– springtime veggie pasta bake
– easy sausage, veggie and potato bake

oven-roasted pumpkin seeds

Posted on October 29, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Tuesday! As promised in an earlier post, I have a quick & easy recipe to share with you today: oven-roasted pumpkin seeds. If you are someone like me who does not like to waste anything, this is a great way to get the most bang for your buck out of your carved Halloween pumpkins!

After you’ve scooped out all those slimy pumpkin guts, why not roast up the pumpkin seeds for a healthy and delicious snack or salad-topper? Pumpkin seeds are a terrific source of zinc, vitamin e, and a wealth of antioxidants!

oven-roasted pumpkin seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Rinse the seeds clean of all pumpkin goop.

3. Dry the seeds on a paper towel.

4. In a small bowl, stir 2 tbsp butter or coconut oil with the seeds until they are well-greased.

5. Spread out the seeds in one layer on the baking sheet. {We had enough pumpkin seeds to do two separate batches.}

6. Season however your heart desires! We did one sweet batch {pumpkin pie spice + cinnamon} and one savory batch {garlic salt + ground pepper.}

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until seeds begin to turn golden brown at edges. Be careful not to overcook the seeds, because they burn quickly! Roasting pumpkin seeds reminded me a lot of cooking popcorn, where things can go from delicious –> disastrous in a very short time frame.

ENJOY! 🙂

springtime veggie pasta bake

Posted on April 17, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Hi everyone! I have a simple, delicious and healthy recipe to share with you today. This meal is simple to make, easily adaptable to your preferences, and is bursting with fresh veggie flavors! Hope you enjoy!

– 1/2 box whole-wheat pasta {I used rotini}
– 1 yellow squash
– 1 green bell pepper
– 2 roma tomatoes
– 1/2 sweet onion
– 1 cup fresh baby spinach
– 1 tbsp minced garlic
– a drizzle of olive oil
– your sauce of choice {I used a combination of tomato sauce & pesto}
– 2 cups shredded cheese {I used an Italian blend}

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.

3. Chop and dice the veggies. Toss them in olive oil and saute them in a large pan on medium heat, until onion and garlic are fragrant and spinach is wilted.

4. Drain the pasta and pour cooked noodles into a large casserole dish. Toss with sauce and veggies until everything is well mixed.

5. Top with shredded cheese.

6. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve and savor! This is one of those recipes that makes terrific leftovers, too!

What are some of your favorite springtime recipes?

if you liked this post, you might also enjoy:
– easy veggie, potato & sausage bake
– cilantro-lime quinoa with chicken
– tilapia with pineapple salsa

pumpkin pasta

Posted on November 8, 2012 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Thursday, everyone! I’m in a super happy mood because my brother Greg is arriving this evening for a long weekend visit! I’m leaving right after I finish teaching to go pick him up at the airport. I am sooooo excited to see him! 🙂

I have another new recipe to share with you today for pumpkin week! I made this last night after seeing a recipe on AllRecipes.com that compared this sauce to “inside-out pumpkin ravioli” … I’ve never had pumpkin ravioli but it sounds really delicious. So I thought I would give this pumpkin pasta sauce a whirl. And I’m so glad I did! It was even better than I expected.

I was starving when I got home from school this evening {a little later than usual because I had a meeting after class for Sycamore Review, the literary magazine I work for} so I discovered an added bonus of this recipe: it comes together pretty quickly! I made the sauce while the pasta was cooking, and the entire thing was ready to eat in about 15-20 minutes.

pumpkin pasta

– 1 package noodles of your choice {I used whole-wheat spaghetti; I think penne would also be delicious}
– 1 tbsp butter
– 1 tbsp flour
– 1 small onion, diced
– 1 tbsp minced garlic
– 1 zucchini, diced
– 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
– 1/2 cup skim milk
– 1 cup pumpkin puree
– 1 tsp onion powder
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 1 tsp chili powder
– 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
– salt & pepper to taste
– grated Parmesan cheese to taste

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

2. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large pot and saute onion, garlic and zucchini. Add flour and stir to make a rue.

3. Add the chicken broth, milk, and pumpkin. Stir together until well blended.

4. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and pepper.

5. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until sauce reaches desired thickness.

6. Drain the pasta. Add sauce to the drained pasta, and toss with the Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

I served mine with fresh baked French bread. It was the perfect complement to the pasta and I loved mopping up the sauce at the bottom of my bowl with the warm bread. {Something I wouldn’t do in a restaurant, but at home it seems okay!} 🙂

Hope your week is going great! Tomorrow, I’ll have a classic pumpkin recipe for you to wrap up the work week: pumpkin pie!

-Dallas

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– Time: 20 mins
– Cost: about $8

low-fat garlic cheese biscuits

Posted on July 20, 2012 by dallaswoodburn

I am not the biggest seafood fan {I like some fish, but not really shrimp, crab, lobster, etc} … but I have always loved going to Red Lobster, even when I was a kid and ordered the chicken tenders, because of the amazing garlic cheese biscuits they give to every table. YUM! I always want to gobble down two or three biscuits before the food even arrives.

So I was thrilled when I found this recipe for garlic cheese biscuits on the terrific food website gina’s skinny recipes. I love the recipes Gina creates because they’re delicious AND low-fat. I decided to try this recipe as a side to the cilantro-honey marinated salmon I made for dinner the other night {my new favorite way to cook salmon; I’ll post it here next week!} It was my first time making any sort of biscuits, and they turned out great!

Here’s the recipe:

2 tbsp butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced {I used 2 tsp of pre-minced garlic in olive oil that I found at the store}
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 cups Heart Smart Bisquick
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese {I got the reduced fat kind}
2/3 cup fat free milk

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Melt butter in a small frying pan, add half the garlic and saute on low heat about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add parsley.

3. In a large bowl, combine biscuit mix, cheddar cheese, and remaining garlic. Stir in milk and mix (do not over mix). Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 10 minutes. Brush or drizzle biscuits with melted parsley/garlic butter. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.

These biscuits are delicious warm from the oven, and I actually thought they were even more flavorful warmed up the next day. Just store any leftovers in a plastic bag or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil. You can also freeze the batter if you’d like — then all you have to do is pop it in the oven and you’re good to go!

YUM! Please make these and share them with those you love! ❤

Always,
Dallas

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Time: 15 minutes
Cost: $3.00

my favorite mashed potatoes

Posted on June 27, 2012 by dallaswoodburn

Mike loves potatoes. Baked, fried, mashed … if a potato is somehow incorporated into a dish, odds are Mike will be a fan! I tease him that someday he needs to go to a restaurant and order a meal entirely made up of potato side dishes: “I’ll have a baked potato with a side of mashed potatoes and potato salad and some french fries for dessert.” You think I’m joking, but if Mike ordered such a meal he would enjoy every bite.

Which goes to say that I have experimented with many different recipes featuring potatoes. The tried-and-true classic, and perhaps my favorite way to eat a potato, is mashed. My mom makes the best mashed potatoes in the universe, so in my mind I can never compete with hers. But I’ve come up with a recipe that Mike really loves, so I wanted to share it with you. I’m a fan because: 1) it’s pretty quick; 2) it’s pretty simple; and 3) for mashed potatoes, it’s pretty healthy, featuring vitamin-rich potato skins, skim milk, fat-free sour-cream, and still plenty of flavor and a great creamy texture.

In the next couple of days I’ll post a recipe for my great-grandma Rahn’s stuffed chicken breasts, which I made the other night alongside these mashed potatoes for a truly delish meal.

my favorite mashed potatoes

-2 lbs of your favorite potatoes {I used regular old russets but am also a fan of yukon golds}
-1/4 cup butter, softened
-1/4 cup skim milk
-2 tbsp fat-free sour cream
-2 tsp chopped garlic {or, in a pinch, you might use garlic powder}
-2 tsp dried basil
-salt & pepper to taste

1. Cube the potatoes {leave the skin on} and bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, carefully drop the potatoes in, and cook until tender, which for me usually takes about 15-20 minutes.

2. Drain the water from the potatoes and dump them into a bowl or back into the pot. Mash them to desired texture {I use a potato masher and like to leave them a little lumpy}

3. Add the milk and sour cream and mix well. Season with garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

I’ve also found some potential recipes for using up leftover mashed potatoes that I am planning to try soon … I will keep you posted!

Happy cooking & yummy eating!
-Dallas

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Time: 30 mins
Cost: $3.00

garlic, tomato & olive oil pasta

Posted on May 16, 2012 by dallaswoodburn

One thing I love about being home in California is getting to eat my mom’s delicious cooking! Last night she taught me how to make a super quick, inexpensive and easy pasta dish that I immediately knew I had to share with you!

Ingredients:

– 1 box angel hair pasta
– 2 tbsp minced garlic
– 3 roma tomatoes, cut into pieces
– 1/4 cup olive oil
– 1 package chicken breasts
– feta cheese to taste

1. Cut up the chicken breasts into chunks and saute in some olive oil until cooked all the way through.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook angel hair pasta for approx. 3 minutes. {Be very careful not to overcook angel hair pasta!}

3. Coat bottom of a pan in olive oil and saute the minced garlic while pasta is cooking.

4. Drain pasta and dump it into the garlic and olive oil mixture. Stir until all the pasta is coated. Add the tomatoes and chicken and mix well.

5. Top with feta cheese if desired.

Ta da! Could not be easier, faster, or tastier! What are some of your favorite quick & healthy recipes?

Till Friday,
Dallas

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Cost: about $15.00
Time: 10 minutes

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