Roast Veggies and Chicken

Roast vegetables and chicken

Alas, it was a semi-short summer for me as I was back to work on Monday which meant little time to update the blog, although I was cooking up a storm at home.  So I am now T-minus 48 hours to cruise and was getting impatient with the scale, so I decided to go hardcore this week and do what old-time weight watchers like myself call Core.  It just means instead of counting points you eat small portions of a list of foods that are allowed.  Its a little tough at first, but it always pushes me through a weight loss plateau, and it keeps me creative in my cooking, because I have to create big flavors without some of the carby, fatty cheats.  One life-saving treat that I discovered on core was the magic of roasting vegetables.  Roasting caramelizes vegetables so that they are so brown they almost look burned, but they are actually bringing out the natural sugars in them and softening them into a delectable consistency.  This is also another great way to empty out your fridge if you have an assortment of veggies that are about to go bad.  You can even use some frozen veggies if that's all you have, but be very cautious of how much water is in them, because water is the enemy of this process.  It's also important to make sure the vegetables are cut into pretty much the same size, so everything cooks evenly.  I made a version of this recipe with the vegetables I had at home (which is what you see in the picture), but I'll give you my favorite combination of vegetables in the recipe below.  Here it is: 
Ingredients-
For the vegetables: 
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large, red onion, cut into large chunks
1 head read cabbage, sliced
1 head garlic, peel on
3 large carrots, chunked (I always have baby carrots, so I just take a few handfuls and cut them in half)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1/2 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the chicken: 
1 pound chicken
1 lemon, quartered
3 large cloves of garlic, coursely chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon oregano
1/2 Tablespoon thyme
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions: 


Lay veggies out on a sheet in a single layer.



Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Begin by laying all vegetables out on a baking sheet  in a single layer (or on a roasting pan if you have one--mine only gets dirty on Thanksgiving) and tossing with oil and spices.  Place into oven and do not disturb for at least 25 minutes.  I have a convection setting, and mine can be done in about half an hour, but total cooking time will vary.  Vegetables will get very dark and might look a little burnt.  Taste something hard, like a carrot or piece of cauliflower and if it is tender, it is done. 

Meanwhile, while vegetables are in the oven, place the chicken and all other ingredients to marinade quickly in a gallon sized Ziploc bag, juicing the lemon and leaving the whole lemon in the bag in the process.  Let the air out of the bag and seal.  Rub the marinating liquid all over the meat and let it sit while the vegetables are roasting.  When the vegetables are done, transfer to a platter or large bowl and dump out the entire contents of your Ziploc bag onto the same baking sheet, lemons, juice and all.  Lower the oven to 400 degrees and cook the chicken about 15 minutes, or until juices run clear when cut.  Place the chicken pieces over the vegetables and pour the lemony-oil sauce that remains in the pan on top.  It is amazing!  Enjoy!