Roasted Garlic Pasta

To roast slice off just the very top of the head of garlic so that you can see the tip of the flesh of the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and roast at 350 F for about 15-20 minutes or until soft. When it has cooled break open the skin of each clove and the garlic should just pop out. You can keep the roasted garlic in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Serves 2.

1 head roasted garlic
1/2 - 3/4 cup cream
1/2 cup fresh thyme (or whatever) chopped
salt and pepper to taste
pasta for 2
parmesan cheese to taste

1. In a small pot mash the roasted garlic to a paste.
2 Add cream, thyme, salt and pepper and stir until slightly thickened
3. In a separate pot cook pasta in abundant boiling water until al dente.
4. Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve immediately

Roasted Garlic Pasta: From Hugh Alter, via Nigel Slater

Italian-Style Roasted Vegetables

This version is dressed with Italian seasonings. Select at least four different vegetables, or follow the combination below. To speed preparation, parboil the harder, longer-cooking vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and potatoes, before roasting them. Serves 4 to 6

Roasted Vegetables
2 potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks or cut in half lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick semicircles
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks or sliced as above
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks or cut on diagonal
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1 medium-sized zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks or cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 bell peppers, cut into 1-inch chunks

Italian Dressing
4 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary
1 Tbs. minced fresh oregano
1 tsp. salt

To make Roasted Vegetables: Preheat oven to 425F.
Parboil potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots in boiling water to cover for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and drain well. In large bowl, combine parboiled vegetables with onions, zucchini and bell peppers.
To make Italian Dressing: Place ingredients in bowl, and whisk together or purée in blender.
Toss vegetables with dressing, and place in single layer on large unoiled baking tray.
Bake vegetables, stirring every 15 minutes, until tender, about 45 minutes.

PER SERVING: 180 Calories, 4g Protein, 3g Total Fat, 35g Carbohydrates, 410mg Sodium, 4g Fiber, 11g Sugars.

Italian-Style Roasted Vegetables (Recipe of the day: April 24, 2007)

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
6 beefsteak tomatoes, halved and cored
2 leeks, white and pale-green parts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 425°. In a roasting pan, toss tomatoes, leeks, carrots, garlic, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in a single layer (tomatoes cut sides down) until tender, 1 hour. Using tongs, peel off tomato skins.

In a saucepan, bring vegetables, vegetable broth, and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes.

In a blender, purée vegetable mixture in batches. Stir in basil.

Per serving: 198 calories; 8 grams fat; 5.8 grams protein; 29.8 grams carbohydrates; 6.1 grams fiber.
Serves 4 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Everyday Food: September 2006