Veggie Night

At least one night a week at our homes is a "veggie night".  No recipes, no complicated menus, just veggies.  So simple and usually goes over well with everyone, even the less adventurous kids.  Tonight, scratch the planning, scratch the meat, and pile the table with several veggies.  Here's what we've got on the table tonight:
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Baked Apples
Lemon Garlic Green Beans
Roasted Asparagus
(Substitute other green vegetables to your liking, for beans &/or asparagus)



Baked Sweet Potatoes:
Heat oven to 400.  Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork.  Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.  Bake until tender, about 1 hr-1.5 hrs, depending on size of potatoes.  Top with cinnamon, chopped walnuts, honey (drizzle), etc.  I love to bake extras and enjoy them for lunches or snacks throughout the week.

Baked Apples
Lemon Garlic Green Beans

Roasted Asparagus:
If you are Clean Eating (olive oil okay in small amounts):
Preheat oven to 450.  Rinse asparagus well.  Pat dry.  Holding a stalk towards the middle, use your other hand to bend the bottom in order to gently snap the bottom off.  The bottoms contain the woody end that you don’t want.  Place asparagus on a baking sheet lined with foil (for easy clean-up).  Drizzle with olive oil (or use pure olive oil spray).  Sprinkle with garlic powder and sea salt.  Toss to coat and ensure asparagus is in a single layer, with none overlapping, for best roasting.  Place in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until tender to your liking.  Optional:  sprinkle with parmesan cheese immediately after removing from oven.  Enjoy!
If you are E2 (no oils):
Steam or if roasting, spray lightly with olive oil spray.  Roast as above.  For a non-dairy parmesan, try Cashew Parmesan.

Cashew Parmesan:
(courtesy of The Naked Kitchen)
1 c. raw cashews
6 T nutritional yeast
1 t. coarse ground sea salt or to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the cashews on a baking sheet and bake in the oven about 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. The trick is to let the cashews get brown but not burned. This is what makes that good nutty flavor.  Remove the cashews to a food processor and add in the yeast. Process until crumbly.  Add the salt and pulse to combine.  Makes 1 cup.  Serving size 2 tablespoons.