I have the honor today to present you with a guest post from none other than the popular gluten free cookbook author Ms. Carol Fenster. Ms. Fenster has written 10 gluten free cookbooks and is a leader in the gluten free community. She recently published her 10th cookbook, "125 Gluten Free Vegetarian Recipes." For those of you who follow vegetarian and/or vegan diets or those of you who simply love vegetables and need some new recipe ideas this book would be ideal for you. Stay tuned at the end of this post to learn how you can win a brand new copy of this wonderful gluten free vegetarian cookbook!
Gluten-Free Roasted Vegetables by Carol Fenster
Written for GingerLemonGirl.com
By Carol Fenster, author of 125 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes (Avery, 2011)
www.CarolFensterCooks.com and www.GfreeCuisine.com
Many of us are coming down from the Thanksgiving high induced by lots of wonderful foods, some of which are not necessarily healthy but certainly tasted good, didn’t they! If you’re looking for ideas to introduce some healthier whole food options, I have a solution. Try roasted vegetables.
Roasted does wonderful things for vegetables―as I discovered while writing my latest book, 125 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes. It transforms them―especially those with strong flavors like asparagus or cauliflower―into sweeter, milder versions making them more appealing to non-vegetable eaters. How does this happen? Technically, roasting caramelizes the natural sugars in vegetables and brings out a pleasant nuttiness that simultaneously mellows the flavors as well. Roasting is perfect for hearty winter meals.
This method is especially good for those who prefer whole, rather than processed foods because the actual vegetable remains intact; it isn’t broken down, pulverized, or peeled. Nothing is lost, but a lot is gained in flavor. And, you don’t need to add many other ingredients―simple is better (and easier).
In addition to cauliflower and asparagus, another of my favorite roasted vegetables is Brussels sprouts. They are usually a good buy in winter when they are harvested. They look like miniature heads of cabbage which is not surprising since they belong to the cruciferous family. They grow on a stalk (see photo) which is so large and sturdy that it could probably serve as a weapon.
But we see them in the produce section of grocery stores as little green balls. Look for firm, dense heads and bright green compact leaves. Avoid yellowed heads or any with holes, which could indicate insect damage. Like other members of the cruciferous family, Brussels sprouts are a good source of vitamins, fiber, iron and disease-fighting compounds.
Try this easy recipe from my new book. I think you’ll agree that it is a winner.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts in Orange-Nut Sauce
Reprinted with permission from 125 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Fenster (Avery, 2011)
Blanching the sprouts briefly in boiling water helps preserve their lovely green color. If you don't have time or don’t mind the loss of color, you can skip Step 2.
1 pound Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons orange marmalade (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9x13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Have a medium bowl of water and ice cubes ready.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove any bruised outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half through the stem end. Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and immediately submerge in the ice water for 2 minutes to stop the cooking, then blot dry with paper towels.
- In a medium bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with olive oil and arrange on the baking sheet, cut side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast until caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes. Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Transfer to a serving bowl. Whisk the marmalade and vinegar together and then toss with Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts and serve immediately. Serves 4.
- Choose Brussels sprouts that are similarly-sized for even roasting. If yours are all sizes, arrange the smaller heads on one end of the pan and larger ones on the other end. If necessary, remove the smaller heads from the oven first and return the larger ones to finish roasting.
- Halving the sprouts makes them roast quicker and more thoroughly.
- Discard any loose leaves; they’ll brown too quickly in the oven and probably burn.
- To save time, toast the walnuts by sprinkling them around the Brussels sprouts during the final 2 or 3 minutes of roasting.
- If you don’t have orange marmalade, use the same amount of orange juice concentrate instead and add a little grated orange zest, if you have it.
- If you would like to try roasting other vegetables check out the recipes for roasted cauliflower and roasted asparagus in my book. Enjoy!
GLG Disclosure: The Lisa Ekus Group, who represents Ms. Carol Fenster provided me with a free copy of "125 Gluten Free Vegetarian Recipes" for the purpose of providing a review. While this is a post shared by Ms. Carol Fenster, it is not a sponsored post and I did not receive compensation. I am sharing the copy I received of the book with my readers. The opinions in this post are mine.
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Contest is now over!
Congrats to Sarah H. comment #32
"Recently I have been eating a lot of sweet potatoes - I get the sweet potato chips and also will bake them like you would regular potatoes and eat them with Earth Balance margarine and honey. For Thanksgiving I made our famous sweet potato casserole topped with pecans - converted to vegan and gluten free of course. -- Sarah H."
