Better Roasted

I adore roasted tomatoes. Their color and taste deepen after baking and they can really hold their own in a dish. One of my favorite combinations is roasted tomatoes and goat cheese. With the addition of roasted onion, fresh chives, and soy sauce, the pair are taken to another level. The result is an elegant and downright delicious appetizer that suits every appetite. And, lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes, is more readily absorbed when cooked!

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Roasted Tomato & Onion with Goat Cheese

by Aylin @ Glow Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 3 large tomatoes
  • 1 large white onion
  • Dash of salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tsp chives, chopped
  • 2 tbsp goat cheese
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

Stem and cut the tomatoes into fourths, dice the onion, and place them on a baking sheet.

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Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Pop into the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes and onion are browned and tender.

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Serve with a garnish of chopped fresh dill and crumbled goat cheese or feta. Drizzle with soy sauce. Enjoy!

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Bon Appetit!

xo Aylin

Beet Hummus

The color is enough to make this recipe something to get excited about. Sure, plain hummus never gets old, but sometimes it’s fun to jooj things up a bit in the kitchen and bring some personality to old-time favorites. This recipe brings an earthy flavor to regular hummus and some sass to an ordinarily blah, neutral tone.

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Beat this glow:

Beets: contain folic acid necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells, which benefits pregnant women and those undergoing physical healing, guard against colon cancer, protect against heart disease, are high in sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and phosphorous, are available all year round, contain cancer-fighting pigment betacynin, cleanse the blood, strengthen the gall bladder and liver, and can be used to treat acne.

Roasted Beet Hummus

by Aylin @ Glow Kitchen

Keywords: bake side dish snack vegan vegetarian chickpeas tahini beets

Ingredients (Makes 2 cups)

  • 1.5 cups cooked (or canned) chickpeas
  • 1/2 roasted beet
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin

Instructions

Roast half a beet wrapped in aluminum foil in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 20 minutes or until tender. Let cool before putting it into the food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Blend all until smooth. You may have to add 2-3 tbsp of lukewarm water to help things smoothen out, but this depends on the juiciness of the beet, lemon and chickpeas.

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Serve with toasted or grilled pita bread.

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Enjoy!

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Bon Appetit!

xo Aylin

Roka & Roasted V’s w/Goat Cheese

 

On Saturdays, I stock up on all my organic fruits and veggies.

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Every week there is always a surprise.

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Guava? In Turkey?

Recently, due to lots of visitors, I’ve been eating out and ordering in way too much.

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Things always taste better when someone else makes it. Well, not really, but the hassle-free aspect tastes pretty damn good to me.

Saturday night’s dinner was a feast, and the starting salad was my favorite salad ever. You can’t go wrong with baked veggies and goat cheese. This bad boy doesn’t even need a sauce. Roka is insanely pungent and not a bite you want to take unless it’s complemented by something to mild it out. The warmth of the veggies and the creaminess of the cheese do the job just right!

Roka & Roasted Veggie Salad with Goat Cheese

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Ingredients:

– 1/4 cup diced shallots

– 1 medium red onion, chopped

– 1 large tomato, chopped

– 1 eggplant, chopped

– salt & pepper

– 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

– handful roka

– goat cheese, to your liking

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Servings: 2

 

Directions:

Chop the shallots, eggplant, onion and tomato.

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Place all veggies on aluminum foil.

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Toss with olive oil.

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Salt & Peppa.

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Cook in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.

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Cover the bottom of a plate with roka pieces.

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Top with the veggies.

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Add the cheese.

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No need for a vinaigrette or lemon dressing.

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Comforting, warm and delicious!

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Bon Appetit!

 

x Aylin