Roasted Veggie Heaven – including Leek Rings

Well! Simple roasted veggies, including sweet potato "fries," red peppers, carrots, and leek rings were a great hit. And the scent of roasting veggies - like nutrient-rich french fries - permeated the rooms at CATS and brought more kids over to taste the glistening, caramelized veggies. Hooray, a cooking teacher's dream! This is something great to do with your kids at home - even the smallest kids can wash, peel and slice the veggies, toss them with a little olive oil, and enjoy spreading them on cookie sheets. They can sprinkle on salt and pepper, and then it's the parent's job to put them in the oven, rotate the trays once during roasting, and then remove the hot pans from the oven. But don't expect the product to last very long!

Dinner

Our roasted veggies were divine. From top: red peppers and carrots; sweet potato “fries,” and Leek Rings.

finger leeks (2) — Our roasted veggies were divine. From top: red peppers and carrots; sweet potato “fries,” and Leek Rings.

Ingredients

We roasted red peppers, carrots, and sweet potatoes, plus leeks, but the list of fantastic candidates for roasting includes:

Potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, fennel, parsnips, squash, beets, brussels sprouts, asparagus and more!

Leek Rings

3 large-diameter leeks (try finding them at the Farmer’s Market.) Torpedo onions would work also.
Olive or vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Instructions

Roasted Veggies

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spread foil or parchment paper on two or three baking sheets and spray them lightly with vegetable or olive oil spray.
Wash, peel and cut fresh vegetables into equal-sized pieces (about the size of a tablespoon.) Potatoes can be cut into wedges or “fries.”
In a large bowl, toss the veggies with a drizzle of olive oil until coated.
Spread the veggies in a single layer on the cookie sheets.
Roast until tender and beginning to brown, 30 minutes or more. Turn once; stir if necessary, to avoid blackening the edges of the vegetables.
Serve warm. These also make a fantastic addition to pasta dishes (i.e., combined with cooked tortellini and pesto sauce) or to a sandwich, salad or pizza.

Leek Rings

There is magic in leeks. It is really fun to slide the rings apart with your fingers, and then scatter them on a cookie sheet. Watch as they transform into sweet, toasted circles.

I once read a similar recipe in the wonderful Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen. Her leeks seem to be crispy; ours were soft and shiny. Both are completely delectable.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread foil or parchment on cookie sheets and spritz with vegetable or olive oil spray.
Trim the dark tops and the stem ends off the leeks, leaving a cylinder. Peel off the outermost layer. Rinse under cool water.
Parents should do the cutting: slice each stalk into 1/2 inch discs.
Let the kids separate the leeks’ concentric inner rings by gently pushing a finger up through the middle. Rinse the rings again in a colander as sand sometimes gets inside the layers. Put the rings on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry thoroughly.
Spread the leek circles on the cookie sheets and spray again, lightly, with oil. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.
Roast in the oven, turning the pan occasionally and gently stirring until they are cooked through, about 25-35 minutes.
This can be a side dish or a garnish or a great sandwich component. And try these on pizza!

More Information

Please report back to this site if you have any new brainstorms for roasted veggies. 🙂

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