I just discovered roasted veggies!
 

So, this spring I discovered roasted vegetables. I REALLY am enjoying them. a Little olive or canola oil, salt and pepper, then in the oven or on the grill in a tinfoil packet for 20-30 min, depending on the veg. Then I got to thinking, :eek: if I am now tracking my calories, should I go back to microwaved with a little "I can't believe its not butter"? Any thoughts?

Calories do count, but the monounsaturated fat in canola and olive oils is the kind that's very good for you. I'd suggest working it into your calorie budget for better nutrition and better taste.

Oh yeah... roasted veggies are a whole different favor profile. Don't worry about calories too much, just enjoy the flavors!

I love roasted asparagus with peper,herbs and a little sea salt. I tend to spray a little Pam spray on the foil and a little ontop the veggies. They turn out delicious everytime. Asparagus takes less than 10mins in the oven, perfect for me. :)

I love roasted veggies but I watch the calories. It's not hard to do both... in the case of veggies, portion size is equally important, IMO. When you measure the amount of veggies, after roasting, and take into account the oil you've added, does it throw you off-track so that you go above your daily limit of calories? If so, then re-think the portion size!

roasted okra
 

one of my favorites lately. roast in a medium size pan w approximately tablespoon olive oil. i dust the okra with a little cornmeal before placing on pan so it's more like fried okra.


i def. agree w a previous post on this thread about roasted asparagus. Roasting is by far its best application as it seems to amplify asparagus's inherent nutty flavor. delicious.

Grill those veggies and love them!

The other night I was making leg of lamb for dinner. The Irish girl within me was Jonesing for oven fried potatoes in the worst way, but we were out of them so I grabbed a bag of baby carrots, spritzed them with ICBNB olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and pepper and tossed them on a cookie sheet in the oven. The kids LOVED them, and now they call them "carrot fries". Okay they are a little more fattening than a raw carrot stick, but not nearly so bad as an order of fries at McD's.

What I do is I weigh the vegetable raw and log it that way in fit day then measure the olive oil I'm going to coat them with and then add that to fit day. That way everything is all accounted for. I highly recommend beets and radishes! I don't like pickled beets but roasted they're absolutely great. Radishes turn out really well too, a little less spicy and just as flavorful.

Mmn, I’m a big fan of slicing up fresh zucchini and asparagus, drizzle it with olive oil, a little salt, pepper and crushed dried rosemary. Delicious!
Calories can be a bit of a worry, but in the end your body needs fat, and it needs oil to lube up your systems, so long as you’re tracking the amount of oil you use and are aware of the calories adding oil isn’t a bad thing. The issue is when everything is deep fried and covered in grease. It concerns me when people take the all or nothing approach to foods, it’s all in moderation, and that little oil to ensure some delicious vegetables is worth it.

Must be said that baking cauliflower and broccoli (no need to blanch first) is by far the best way - add a tiny bit of spray oil, a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese and season to taste - oh and a squeeze of lemon too. I would never eat either veg any other way!

Grilled veggies FTW! :D

Mine too, I also love roasted peppers, however I do put a lot of olive oil on mine, my wife says this is unhealthy, but surely olive oil is good for you isn't it? If it was vegetable oil then maybe, am I right about this?:confused:

How much is a lot? Too much of even "good for you foods" is still too much. I love the roasted garlic my favorite restaurant in Boston but the amount of olive oil they used was way too much for me. I asked them to use less and chef actually came out to see how I like it. I loved it, even better than the original way. He said he used about a 1/4 of what he usually does. Wow, Hate to think of how many fat grams I was eating!:eek:

I use about a tablespoon for every 2 pounds of veggies. Using a good oil spritzer or tossing the veggies around in a big ziplock bag covers everything evenly.

I also love grilled fruit!:D

I take sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, red potatoes, etc., cut them into bite size chunks and toss them with about 2 teaspoons of olive oil, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Then I throw them in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I know it sounds like a lot of oil (and probably more sugar than most here tend to consume), but it covers a lot of veges. I always make enough so I have left overs for the next few days. I like to reheat them and throw them in omelets, as a side hash for breakfast- they are very versatile. The best thing is that I can make quite a few servings for only a few dollars as all the vegetables I use are pretty inexpensive.