Honey Citrus Roasted Sheet Pan Dinner

Click here for the original inspiration for this recipe.

Inspired by this Salmon Sheet Pan recipe, I am taking this quick and easy (and beautiful) recipe and simplifying it to be quicker, easier and more flexible. Oh, and maybe even better for you since I’m cutting the honey in half and replacing some of the sweetness with orange juice. If you have the time and ingredients, I recommend you try the original recipe linked above. If you’re feeling like me, this week, thinking “a glaze AND a marinade—there’s no time for that around here”…then maybe you’ll want to try this one better. You can adjust proportions of ingredients based on your preference or what you have around.

Ingredients:

to roast—-

bok choy (whole if it’s small enough, chopped into big pieces if you’ve got a large one)

bell pepper (seeds removed and sliced into wedges)

cherry tomatoes (whole or cut in half)

onion (green onions roughly sliced or any other kind, chopped into wedges)

protein of choice (the original calls for salmon, tofu, tempeh or, even more exciting, a combination of mushrooms and cashews are good vegetarian substitutes)

the marinade/glaze—-

1/8 cup honey

zest and juice of 1 orange

4 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice (and the zest of one lime)

1/4 soy sauce

3 cloves garlic (pressed or finely chopped)

3 tbs oil (try roasted sesame oil or olive oil)

pepper to taste

sesame seeds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Line a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper.

Mix marinade ingredients in a cup.

In a large bowl, toss the veggies with half of the glaze mix, then arrange in a layer on the lined baking sheet.

Place the protein on top of the layer of veggies and drizzle with 1/4 of the glaze.

Bake for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how long your protein needs to cook (mushrooms are usually done in 10 minutes, tofu is safe to eat undercooked so it just depends on how crispy you want it, but maybe the salmon doesn’t have that flexibility) and how well-cooked you like your vegetables.

Save the last 1/4 of the glaze and add it as you pull it out of the oven just before serving.

Radish, Bok Choy and Carrot Salad

Quick and raw, this is a new way for me to eat bok choy (I’ve always cooked it). And it’s exciting because I’m always looking for new and easy ways to consume radish (it’s not my soul food, but I know it’s good for me!). If you’re looking for something more complex—here’s another article with radish recipe ideas.

Ingredients: (This is a simple combination—adjust amount and proportions of each to your taste!)

radish

carrots

bok choy

red onion

microgreens

lemon

olive oil

salt

pepper

Instructions:

1. Using a potato peeler or mandolin slicer, thinly slice carrots and radish.

2. Thinly chop bok choy and onion.

3. Toss radish, carrots, bok choy and onion with microgreens.

4. Drizzle with olive oil and add lemon, salt and pepper to taste.

Rice with Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Cauliflower and Carrots

Spring 2021 UPDATE —I’m stepping up the veggie load but the goals of this recipe remain the same— to keep it simple, quick (but not bland!) AND somehow exciting enough that both of my kids will eat their veggies. That said, I’m sharing two variations because…no single variation is seemingly successful with both of my currently very particular kids. The difference is simply that my 5-year-old (now 6-year-old) will eat the veggies if they’re chopped up beyond recognition and magically transformed into colorful “sprinkles” that make the rice “rainbow”. My two-year-old (now 3-year-old), on the other hand, loved big chunks of vegetables that she could grab individually and stuff into her mouth. Apparently, now she’s flipped and joined the “sprinkles” club. So here goes—Rice with Bok Choy and Carrots!

Ingredients:

1 tbs whole cumin seeds

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tbs toasted sesame oil

1 bunch of green onions, chopped (optional, if this isn’t a dealbreaker for the kids. Currently, it is for one of mine…)

3 cups rice

2 to 3 cubes bouillon (I use veggie bouillon.) Two cubes may be plenty, depending on how salty you like it.

1 bunch bok choy and/or swiss chard (thinly sliced, or chopped obsessively into “sprinkles”)

12 tiny carrots, or 6 regular-sized, sliced (or finely grated into “sprinkles”)

1/2 head of cauliflower more or less, grated into ‘rice’ or roughly chopped into ‘arbolitos’ (little trees)

microgreens (optional, for garnish!)

Instructions:

1. In a pot (preferably one with a thick bottom so rice doesn’t burn so easily) over medium heat, add sesame oil, cumin seeds, coriander and optional green onions and stir fry for a minute

2. Add rice and stir fry for another minute (I hear this helps get rid of some of the starch that brings blood sugar levels up…)

3. In a cup of hot water, dissolve the bouillon cubes and add to pot. Add 4 1/2 more cups water and the veggies (carrots, bok choy, swiss chard and cauliflower).

Cover with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.

Garnish with microgreens, if you like, and enjoy with your favorite protein (Try mung beans or peanuts!) for a complete meal.

Quick Veggie Ramen

Quick Veggie Ramen

If you grew up like me, ramen is one of the comfort foods that takes you back. For me, it was Top Ramen that represented my first taste of independence when my formerly stay-at-home mom went to work and I proudly fed myself RAMEN! Sometimes, I even put ketchup on it. My more ‘sophisticated’ self now still longs for those days eating noodles and watching Mr. Belvedere sprawled out on my mom’s bed. So, transforming my ramen experience from noodles and a flavorful powder into something with healthy stuff in it is a beautiful thing. Here’s my current version of a ramen dinner night (it looks like a long recipe, but it’s actually pretty quick to make!)—

Ingredients:

Sesame seed oil

1 onion (thinly sliced)

2-inch piece of ginger (sliced, more or less as desired)

1-inch piece of fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp dry powdered)

Two handfuls dried shitake mushroom

6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

4 tbs sunflower seed butter

8 tbs soy sauce

2 veggie bouillon cubes or 4 cups veggie broth

1 handful nutritional yeast

ramen noodles (it’s up to you how much, but think along the lines of four servings)

1 bunch of bok choy (thinly sliced)

1 box tofu (cut into cubes)

Miso to taste

The Toppings (any or all!)—

other veggies you’ve got around (such as carrots, green onions, cilantro)

microgreens (whichever are around! I especially like the spicy ones in this dish, like radish and cress)

toasted sesame seeds

lemon or lime

hard boiled eggs

Instructions:

Saute onions, ginger, turmeric and mushrooms in sesame oil for a few minutes.

Add garlic and saute for another minute.

Add sunflower seed butter and soy sauce and saute for another minute.

Add veggie bouillon plus 6 cups water OR 4 cups veggie broth and two cups water, nutritional yeast and bring to a boil.

Add bok choy, tofu and ramen and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in miso paste to taste.

Add toppings and serve