Versatile Veggies

The night before the Farmer's Market I always go through my veggie bin to do a little clean out and take stock of what I have. A lonely eggplant needed some love so I decided to make a big batch of roasted veggies.

Roasted veggies are so versatile. I use them for casseroles, dips, soups, tortilla pizzas and salads.

Eggplant, peeled and cubed
Red Onions, chunked
Bell Peppers, chunked
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss eggplant, onion, and peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, turning once or twice halfway through cooking time. Set aside to cool. They last several days in the fridge or you can freeze them.

Here's what I did with them...

For Lunch:

Shelly's Roasted Veggie Tortilla Pizza - Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat Fajita Size Tortilla topped with Bruschetta Sauce, a slice of Provolone, Roasted Veggies, Asiago Cheese and Italian Seasonings.


For Dinner:

Shelly's Roasted Vegetable Turkey Mini Meatloaf

2 cups Roasted Veggies
1 1/4 pounds Ground Turkey, the average weight of 1 package
1/4 cup Italian Style Dry Bread Crumbs (or 1/4 cup Rolled Oats)
1/4 cup Milk
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Whiz 1 1/2 cups (hold 1/2 cup back) roasted veggies in a mini food processor till smooth. Set aside. Soak breadcrumbs in milk for 1 minute. Beat egg. Add egg and soaked breadcrumbs or oats to ground turkey. Add whizzed veggies and all remaining ingredients (including 1/2 cup unwhizzed veggies.) Mix till combined.


Divide into 8 equal mounds. Form into mini meatloaves or if you have this super groovy pan like me use it. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350-degree oven. These freeze well either cooked or uncooked.

Highlights of the Day:

* The house smells amazing when you roast veggies. It's one of my favorite smells. I'm a Sicilian girl so I like when the house smells of garlic and tomato sauce too. Yeah, most people like a room to smell like flowers I like it to smell like a bubbling pot of marinara.

* When the rest of the world wakes up I have big plans for the day. Should be a fun yet $ productive weekend. A nice balance.

* Right now. Rocking out to 80's music. Sipping on a cup of English Toffee Cocoa.

No Sugar Added Cocoa, a splash of Sugar-Free English Toffee Torani Syrup, No Sugar Added Homemade Whipped Cream and some crushed SF Butter Toffee Candy Sprinkles.

Sugar Free Candy + Ziploc Bag + Meat Mallet + Pent-up Aggression = Sprinkles



Listening to: "Pour Some Sugar On Me" Def Leppard.