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Oct. 1st, 2008 10:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
labellementeuseDear livejournal,
I made the most amazing dinner last night! It was a delicious spinach and roast veges salad, with honey bacon vinaigrette. It was also totally easy peasy, here's how you do it:
1. Preheat the oven to roasting temperature (200-220 degrees C). Chop up some potatoes (I always leave the skin on, but you could take it off) quite small and peel and chop some carrots - slightly larger. Do enough to feed however many people you're feeding - this is the bulkiest part of the meal. I made my vegetables quite small because I was in a hurry and they cook faster that way, also they're delicious because the oil soaks right into them; however, larger pieces are more healthy!
2. Oil and season the veges however you prefer - I like salt, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, and marjoram (also known as rosemary + Pam's mixed herbs) with an emphasis on the rosemary, and half-way through cooking I throw in a bunch of whole crushed garlic cloves (don't put them in at the beginning or they'll burn!) Also, salt and potatoes are like the Beatles and Michelle (they go together very well...) so don't skimp.
3. Throw the veges in on the bottom shelf and turn every 20 minutes until they're done. (Hopefully you know how long this takes; in my oven it's between 45 mins and 1 hr depending on vege size.)
4. While the veges are cooking, whip out some bacon (enough to feed the number of people you're feeding) and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Cook this bacon however you want. In an attempt to reduce the fat content of this meal I laid it out on a baking paper on a biscuit tray and shoved it on the top shelf in the oven (we only have a top element, so this was almost like grilling/broiling, took about 7 minutes to cook.) You could fry it, or grill it, or whatever you like done with your bacon. You could also do this with chicken or thin strips of beef; I like bacon because 1. It's delicious and 2. The place where I shop sources all its meat locally and there are no piggeries around where I live, so it's less guiltable than, say, chicken (even barn-raised chicken) while still being totally affordable.
5. While THAT's cooking, whip up a lot of honey vinaigrette. I used salt and pepper, 1/3 C oil, 1/2 C honey, 1/2 C red wine vinegar (BUT FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD, USE BALSAMIC IF YOU HAVE IT) and a teaspoon of honey seeded mustard. These proportions were OK except the vinegar could have been put down a little bit depending on how you feel about vinegar; a little lemon juice would also have been nice. Also, it was very sweet, which I feel very positive about generally, but which I know isn't for everyone; so you could cut the honey quite a bit.
6. Pour the bacon and vinaigrette into a bowl and chuck it in the fridge until you want it.
7. Wash some (lots of) spinach and slice some tomatoes and put them in a big ole salad bowl (along with any other salad ingredients you have and are partial to - my parents like raisins, I like avocado, whatever.)
8. When the veges are done, throw them in the bowl with the spinach and the tomato and toss; pour bacon and honey vinaigrette over the lot and toss again. Serve! Finger-lickin' good.
I made the most amazing dinner last night! It was a delicious spinach and roast veges salad, with honey bacon vinaigrette. It was also totally easy peasy, here's how you do it:
1. Preheat the oven to roasting temperature (200-220 degrees C). Chop up some potatoes (I always leave the skin on, but you could take it off) quite small and peel and chop some carrots - slightly larger. Do enough to feed however many people you're feeding - this is the bulkiest part of the meal. I made my vegetables quite small because I was in a hurry and they cook faster that way, also they're delicious because the oil soaks right into them; however, larger pieces are more healthy!
2. Oil and season the veges however you prefer - I like salt, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, and marjoram (also known as rosemary + Pam's mixed herbs) with an emphasis on the rosemary, and half-way through cooking I throw in a bunch of whole crushed garlic cloves (don't put them in at the beginning or they'll burn!) Also, salt and potatoes are like the Beatles and Michelle (they go together very well...) so don't skimp.
3. Throw the veges in on the bottom shelf and turn every 20 minutes until they're done. (Hopefully you know how long this takes; in my oven it's between 45 mins and 1 hr depending on vege size.)
4. While the veges are cooking, whip out some bacon (enough to feed the number of people you're feeding) and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Cook this bacon however you want. In an attempt to reduce the fat content of this meal I laid it out on a baking paper on a biscuit tray and shoved it on the top shelf in the oven (we only have a top element, so this was almost like grilling/broiling, took about 7 minutes to cook.) You could fry it, or grill it, or whatever you like done with your bacon. You could also do this with chicken or thin strips of beef; I like bacon because 1. It's delicious and 2. The place where I shop sources all its meat locally and there are no piggeries around where I live, so it's less guiltable than, say, chicken (even barn-raised chicken) while still being totally affordable.
5. While THAT's cooking, whip up a lot of honey vinaigrette. I used salt and pepper, 1/3 C oil, 1/2 C honey, 1/2 C red wine vinegar (BUT FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD, USE BALSAMIC IF YOU HAVE IT) and a teaspoon of honey seeded mustard. These proportions were OK except the vinegar could have been put down a little bit depending on how you feel about vinegar; a little lemon juice would also have been nice. Also, it was very sweet, which I feel very positive about generally, but which I know isn't for everyone; so you could cut the honey quite a bit.
6. Pour the bacon and vinaigrette into a bowl and chuck it in the fridge until you want it.
7. Wash some (lots of) spinach and slice some tomatoes and put them in a big ole salad bowl (along with any other salad ingredients you have and are partial to - my parents like raisins, I like avocado, whatever.)
8. When the veges are done, throw them in the bowl with the spinach and the tomato and toss; pour bacon and honey vinaigrette over the lot and toss again. Serve! Finger-lickin' good.
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Date: 2008-10-04 06:51 am (UTC)