One of my favorite meals to bring for a crowd is a big dish of roasted vegetables, with a tangy dressing and usually something sweet and crunchy to grace the top. This was one of those meals, and surprising enough my child devoured it, and basically licked the bowl of dressing clean. Sometimes she surprises me; the things I think she will not enjoy, she truly does. She ate her dinner last night, closing her eyes, smiling, and chewing at the same time. I would have called it a foodgasm, but she was the only one eating with me, and thought that conversation would have been a little too awkward.
(( However, not as awkward as me explaining why we can not refer to the dog as a “pussy” only if it is followed by the word “cat” because when she is chasing a ball she sure as hell looks like a cat playing. I did burst out laughing when I first heard her, turned my back, composed myself and decided to have a big girl conversation, on why we should not use that word and what it means. I am pretty sure she will not even refer to our cat-like dog that way anymore))
The roasted vegetables with chickpeas alone is an awesome vegan dish, or you could even make a side of quinoa to pump up the protein a little. I love a good grain bowl. Last night I decided to serve it with Chicken Thighs, in the cast iron skillet. And Holy WOW this did not disappoint
Ingredients
6 Bone-In skin on Chicken Thighs
1 Red onion sliced
2-3 Medium carrots, cut on a bias
Olive oil
Chicken & Veggie Shrub ((Hadley has dubbed our spice rubs as shrubs – because the rub makes an awesome sauce- shrub – it stuck))
((This is for 6 bone-in chicken thighs, increase amounts if cooking more))
3 Tbl Curry Powder
1½ Tbl Garlic
1½ Tbl Onion
1 Tbl Cumin
1 Tsp Paprika
Pink Himalayan Salt/ Course pepper
Directions
Mix spices together
Generously Rub chicken thighs with seasoning mixture – reserve about 3 Tbl of shrub for cauliflower and 2 Tbl for the chickpeas
((IF I was only doing vegetables, I would have roasted the onion and carrot along with the cauliflower, but I added them to the cast iron skillet for flavor))
Heat oil in skillet – I used two to prevent over crowding
Sear skin side down first for about 6-8 minutes
Flip, sear for another 5 minutes
Add Carrot and Onion, sauté for a few minutes and add a generous splash of water to the pan to deglaze
Cook on stovetop or pop into the oven for 30 minutes or until your thermometer reads 165
((I start on the stove while I am roasting the rest of the veggies, then finish in the oven))
Curry Roasted Veggies with Lemon - Tahini Dressing
1 large head of cauliflower, chopped ((Including stems))
2 cans of chickpeas rinsed and dried
1 sweet potato chopped ((I had leftover cooked sweet potato in the fridge, so I added this towards the end))
Reserved Shrub
Directions
Preheat oven to 425
Season and roast Cauliflower & Sweet Potato for 35-45 minutes until it starts to get crispy ((The burned tips are the best parts! I like to broil on high at the end for some extra crispiness))
On a separate sheet pan
Roast Chickpeas for 30-40 minutes, check periodically and give a good shake so they do not burn to the pan ((You want them to caramelize with the sugars, not blacken))
((I used the same shrub for chickpeas as my veggies but add a touch of honey and just a little vanilla, sounds weird but do it, you will not be disappointed!))
Lemon – Tahini Dressing
Peel and smash 8-10 large cloves of garlic
Slowly sauté in a small pan with light Olive Oil, careful not to burn ((I have a little single egg pan that I do this in, makes perfectly roasty toasty garlic )) Roasting the garlic takes away the bitterness, believe me it is totally worth the effort. And if using almost a whole head of garlic seems obsessive ((It’s not)), cut the amount in half, but still cook it first! Once completely cooked – cool, remove heads of garlic and chop ((or smoosh)) for dressing
¼ cup Tahini
Roasted Garlic
2 Tbl local Honey ((We love ours from JW Graham))
½ Lemon squeezed
Salt / course pepper
½ Tsp paprika
Water to thin out dressing
1 Tbl of reserved garlic oil
Whisk all dressing ingredients together, adding more water to thin out as needed. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley for a pop of color.
Add your chickpeas to your roasted veggies, dress generously with lemon tahini dressing. Serve with Chicken & glazed carrots yummmm
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