Confession: I actually adore vegetables and salads. I don’t just eat them because they’re healthy, I eat them because I think they’re delicious. Lots of people eat salad even though they don’t love it and the thought of that makes me so sad. I think food should always be enjoyable so if salads aren’t your thing, there are definitely ways to get your veggie hit without suffering through a garden salad situation.
Even though I’m not a vegetarian, one of my favourite restaurants ever is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant. Many years ago, they had this item on their menu called the Veggie Roast. It was basically an amazing pile of fresh roast vegetables with a few big tablespoons of homemade hummus and tzatziki dips. It was so simple yet so hearty and delicious. Unfortunately they took if off the menu a few years ago but I’ve been making a version of it myself at home ever since as a sort of tribute to this marvellous dish.
Roast veggies with beef
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Ingredients:
- 400g roast beef, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot
- 2 medium-sized beetroot
- 500g sweet potato
- 1/2 cauliflower
- 1 bunch Dutch carrots
- 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
- 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup white quinoa
- ½ cup hummus, to serve (optional)
- ½ cup tzatziki, to serve (optional)
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 200C. Chop veggies into similar-sized pieces and place on a baking tray spray with olive oil. Sprinkle veggies with salt, rosemary and thyme and cook for about 30 minutes or until they’re done to your liking.
- Rinse quinoa and drain. Add quinoa to a medium size saucepan with 2 cups (500ml) water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, reduce to a simmer and allow quinoa to absorb water for about 20 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Divide quinoa between two plates and top with beef and roast vegetables. Add hummus and tzatziki (if you fancy it!) to taste.
TIP:
This meal can be served hot for dinner and keeps beautifully overnight to be served chilled for lunch. This will keep in the fridge for at least a few days so it’s ideal for lunches. You can roast your own beef or just grab some slices from the deli - depending on how much time you have.
Carly is the founding editor of Smaggle.com which launched in 2007 back when blogging was weird. She has appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Cosmopolitan and Cleo magazines. She's the co-founder of of blog school Little Blog Big and co-host of podcasts Straight & Curly (for life improvement junkies) and Sweet Teen Club (for those of us who can't leave the '90s behind). Hoop earrings are totally her thing, Benedict Cumberbatch is her Beyoncé and she almost got run over by Myf Warhurst while out jogging one day.
Instagram: @smaggle
Visit: www.smaggle.com
