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Roasted Vegetables + Protein

Dinner, Lunch, Lunch and Dinner, ,

Really, I just wanted to rant and rave about how much I love roasted vegetables. The amount of vegetables I love and make on a weekly basis is kind of hilarious (#favoritechild).

Roasted vegetables are super versatile and delicious. Add a protein of choice and it’s one of my favorite go-to meals. Super simple and versatile, affordable, and pretty forgiving with spices if you’re an experimenter like me.

Pretty much any vegetable can be roasted. 

Basics:

  • Pretty much any vegetable can be roasted. The combinations are endless and up to you, but do keep in mind that cooking times are different per vegetable (i.e. potatoes will take longer than squash) so be sure to take that into account. 
  • My fave combos:
    • Redskin potatoes, acorn or butternut squash, and carrots
    • zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms are also a yummy combo.  
  • Be sure to coat them well with oil, but no need to get wild. Just enough to make sure they’re all coated.
  • Be sure to rotate the pan or flip the veggies about halfway through cooking.
  • Oven temperature at 425 (I do see different recipes calling for 375 up to 475. I’ve had consistent success with 425.)
  • 30-45 minutes should do it! You should be able to poke the veggies with a fork and you should see some nice singeing or they should looked a bit toasted. 

Go-to Proteins

So now that you’re veggies are made, you can pair them with a yummy protein. Here are some of my favorites:

Chicken

I like it Cajun-style. (Really Cajun-style anything… it’s almost shameful how many dishes I will make with Cajun spices.) There a few different brands out there or you can make your own. Find your fave and be prepared to use it on just about everything.

Tofu

Grilled tofu is still my jam! (Though I’ve never tried jam on my tofu… which I feel like… would be very interesting.)

  • Slice a block of tofu (I prefer firm — also has more protein) and dry off the slices with a paper towel.
  • Toss it around in some nutritional yeast, salt, and just a bit of pepper (or seasonings of choice. So far, anything goes with tofu in my experience).
  • Fry those suckers in a pan with some oil until golden brown on each side.
  • A yummy sauce (not compatible with any seasoning of choice, though) that I like to use is mix together some oil, soy sauce, chopped green onions, chopped garlic, and some red pepper seasoning or flakes. Freaking yum.
  • Serve this over veggies of choice, rice, or quinoa. Also, especially good on a salad.

Beef

Every so often, I do eat beef. Even though a burger with fries still ranks in my top three favorite meals, it’s pretty rare that I buy red meat. I have to really be craving it. When I am, I usually go for ground beef and cook it that way or I’ll whip up some patties (nothing fancy — seasoning of choice and some onions is always delicious).

salmon and asparagus on a baking sheet

Salmon + Asparagus

Dinner, Lunch, Lunch and Dinner, , ,

Now, this is just a great and yummy recipe. I love and make it often.

But let’s be real — just salmon and asparagus isn’t a sustaining meal for me. So I like to add sauteed or roasted zucchini and squash, or some quinoa or rice. Check out this post for some ideas on roasted veggies!

The Kitchn is one of my favorite websites. The tips, the recipes, the ideas.

via GIPHY

Their guidelines for How To Cook Salmon in the Oven are what I’ve followed for oven-baked salmon and they’ve treated me well. The only thing I’ll add, to take into consideration, is your oven and it’s true temp. So your baking time may vary a bit.

The recipe outlined in the above link is for simple salmon (salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon wedges) which is how I often cook this delicious dish. I like to get creative with the sides. (As I’ve mentioned, they’re my main squeeze). Here are some additional ideas from The Kitchen for ya that I’ve liked (modifications may be required… let’s not act shocked) to help bolster your meal: