It's raining here in The Valley of the Sun. It's been raining and cold ALL DAY LONG. In fact we have had a crazy unusual rainy 'season' all last month. We desert rats don't know how to cope with that here in Phoenix, it's almost as if people are staring up at the sky in disbelief {from inside their stucco homes and under the protection of their clay tiled roofs} and just waiting for it to fall on their freshly manicured heads.
Where the heck is that umbrella anyway?.............
Craziness I tell you. The kids are like caged animals. A day without being able to ride their bikes to the park is a day where mommy needs a glass of wine by 5 p.m. in a bad way. How the heck do people live in places where this is the norm?
On a truly positive note, I am giddy with anticipation at all of the wild flowers we will have around here in a month or so. We may not have green leafy trees, we may not have the changing of the seasons and snow covered hills for Christmas but by God we have the most beautiful wild flowers here in the desert that will blanket the once dry and desolate Arizona landscape with colors unlike anywhere else on Earth.
Giddy.
Another wonderful thing about it being cold and wet outside is being able to enjoy hot soups and roasted vegetables for dinner. Once the temperature hits 90F my oven goes into hibernation until October.
I was looking for a recipe similar to the lemon, fire grilled veggies that Pita Jungle serves.
I saw this recipe on Liz's site, The Lemon Bowl and knew I had to have it immediately. Her version seemed more like a side dish to me or a light snack so I added more veggies which I tend to do and some chickpeas which pair well with tahini and for more protein. The first time I made it the tahini sauce was a bit bland and thick for us so I added a drizzle of honey and thinned it out with more water, ended up being about 1:1 parts tahini and water to get it thin enough to 'drizzle'.
Organic Tahini
is made of roasted, dried sesame seeds and has a very mild but distinctive flavor. It is commonly used in Mediterranean cuisine and most famously, in hummus. For such a tiny little seed they pack a huge punch nutritionally speaking. They are packed with good for you nutrients and dietary fiber. Sesame seeds may help prevent colon cancer, supports respitory health, reduces inflammation such as in PMS, migraines and osteoporosis and helps prevent many other chronic health conditions.
In fact, just 1/4 cup of sesame seeds provide 73% of your dv in copper which is known for reducing the pain and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.
source: Whole Foods
PREP: 15 MIN BAKE: 25 MIN SERVES: 6
You Will Need:
- 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 sweet potato, cut into 1inch cubes
- 2 large carrots, sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 small purple or yellow onion sliced into wedges
- 2 cups cooked or 1 can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
- 1 head of garlic (yup a whole head)
- 2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Organic Tahini
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons Organic, local honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly chopped parsley for garnish
- Pre-heat oven to 400.
- Remove loose skin from garlic. Cut the top 1/4 inch off to expose the cloves a bit. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.
- In a large bowl, toss cauliflower, broccoli, onion, carrots and sweet potato with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper then spread out in an even layer on a 9 x 13 Inch, Stoneware Baking Pan
, I use a stone baking pan which I adore. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until browned.
- In the bowl of a small food processor, mix together tahini, lemon juice/zest, a few of the roasted garlic cloves and salt. Slowly add in the hot water until desired consistency is reached then drizzle in honey.
- When vegetables are done roasting, serve on a platter and drizzle with tahini honey-lemon sauce parsley. Serve warm.
recipe adapted from The Lemon Bowl
Throw your veggies, chick peas and herbs into a large bowl, drizzle with lemon juice and zest, a good quality olive oil and toss to coat. Spread evenly onto a 9 x 13 Inch, Stoneware Baking Pan
and bake. That's it!
and bake. That's it!
