Balsamic vinegar and veggies? Yes, please.

sarahmaryfearnley

A friend asked me to share some veggie and balsamic recipies I've doing recently. I hope y'all enjoy, Hubby and I definately do.

These Beets Were Made for Walkin' - courtesy of the Eat, Shrink and Be Merry Ladies. Even if you think you don't like beets, try this one. It's ridiculously good.

Roast 1.5lbs (~6) individually foil wrapped beets @ 425F for ~1hour. You want them fork tender but not too soft, definately not mushy. Peel ~12 small to medium shallots (more is better in my opinion), toss on baking pan with olive oil and 1tbsp of chopped, fresh thyme. When beets are finished, switch them out for the shallots. Unwrap and let the beets cool while shallots are roasting for 15min. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them. A paring knife helps and your hands will be purple. Slice the beets into 6 wedges and place in serving bowl. Add the hot shallots and as much thyme as you can scrap off the pan (using a rubber spatula helps). Sprinkle with ~1tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss lightly and serve hot.

Grilled Balsamic Squash - courtesy of another MFPer's Husband. This is for summer squash like zuchinni, mexican squash, or yellow squash. Last night, I did it with mexican squash and eggplant. Turned out great! I will experiment with other veggies.

Slice the veggies long ways into pretty thick slices. If you go too thin, they get too soft and I like my cooked veggies to retain a certain firmness. Toss in a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. I went easy on the balsamic last night 'cause it was the first time but next time I will be more generous. Grill on high for a few minutes on each side. The key to grilling veggies is to use high heat, keep the top open, and just leave them on there long enough to get nicely marked. I also spray the grill with cooking spray prior to starting it up to avoid sticking.

Enjoy!

HelloSweetie4

I looove balsamic vinegar!

sarahmaryfearnley

Opps! I just realized I posted this in Food and not Recipies. Sorry.

AmberJslimsAWAY

I put sliced cucumbers in balsalmic vinegar... sooooo yummy!

raquelespinoza

Sounds really good. I'll be sure to give these a try. Thanks for posting!

TinaDay1114

BUMP for later! Thanks!

tehzephyrsong

I put sliced cucumbers in balsalmic vinegar... sooooo yummy!

This! Cheap, fast, and tasty. Balsamic vinegar is basically the best thing.

PositivePower

I just spent a weekend away with a girlfriend...shopping was involved and I bought Tangerine Balsamic!!! SO GOOD.....wondering about any calories?? I'm sure not much but I am going to try to log it and see what comes up. I had it on my salad last night and yum...can't wait to grill some veggies with it :bigsmile:

mzhokie

I posted a recipe for this in the recipe section but one of my favorite summer dishes is Oven Roasted Veggies and pasta. I just make it now with twice the amount of veggies and 1/2 the amount of pasta!

It's the sauce that makes it so good................. (trying to do this from memory is hard)...... 3-4 T of Balsamic Vinegar, 1-2 T of olive oil, 1 cup of fresh basil sliced thin, 3-4 garlic cloves minced, 1/4 t red pepper flakes, S&P to taste...... I think that's it, I will grab the cookbook the next time I'm in the kitchen and revise this if I'm wrong.

You fill a big cookie sheet or broiler pan with lots of cut up veggies.... cherry tomatoes, onions, squash, peppers, etc. The recipe calls for like at least a cup of chopped veggies each. I have added eggplant and asparagus too. Whatever you want. The key is to chop them up to an even size. Broil them, stirring every 5 mins to get them evenly cooked. Usually 15-20 mins depending on how many veggies. I would imagine grilled veggies and then chop them up would work well or in a stir fry pan your grill.

Cook a short thick pasta like penne... I use whole wheat. Mix the veggies and pasta together in a big bowl and pour that sauce over it. Toss to evenly coat it. Top with some feta cheese.... I use reduced fat because the calorie difference between fat free and reduced fat was small compared to the taste difference. Just don't go nuts with it.. moderation!

Now the veggies without the pasta can be done as a side dish. I have a really expensive bottle of Balsamic that is thick as molasses. I use a cheaper bottle to make the sauce but I finish this dish with a drizzle of the good stuff on top.

For me, this dish can not have too much basil or too much balsamic vinegar. I now grow basil every summer to make sure I have plenty to make dishes like this.

MB_Positif

Food or recipe, I will take it, haha Thanks for sharing!

sarahmaryfearnley

Yum, that veggie pasta sounds good! Basil is apparently my spirit plant and over running the yard. I have not tried it but I can imagine the combination of basil and balsamic would be teriffic.

mzhokie

Yum, that veggie pasta sounds good! Basil is apparently my spirit plant and over running the yard. I have not tried it but I can imagine the combination of basil and balsamic would be teriffic.

try adding basil to a sandwich.... turkey, basil, tomatoes, etc. I sometimes do these deli roll ups with deli meat.... a little bit of cheese, a thick slice of red pepper and a basil leaf! So yummy. You get a great crunch from the pepper. I think it was Oprah that used a Wassa (?) cracker, basil, turkey, tomato etc. as her snack.

I plant 2 or 3 plants every spring.