As a kid, one of my favorite activities to do with my parents was to have “picnic for dinner”. My parents would lay out a blanket in the living room and we would eat right there on the floor. I distinctly remember eating raw veggies WITH VEGGIE DIP out of this little tray my Mom had. Veggie dip was a serious treat! I loved raw veggies as a kid and they are still one of my fave snacks to this day.
However, when I discovered roasting vegetables I felt like I had hit the jackpot. Suddenly the taste of veggies I had eaten forever were transformed into entirely new flavors. Crisp. Sweet. Caramelized. I roast anything I can get my hands on including brussels sprouts, broccoli, onions, and tomatoes.
Tonights veggie victims were kale and cauliflower. Me vs. Veggies!
Some chopped up cauliflower on its last leg (leftovers from the Chunky Tuna Salad!)
A little less than a tablespoon of olive oil.
Mix the cauliflower with the oil, throw some salt around and place on cookie sheet.
Whip out the fresh kale that is so pretty it hurts.
Pull the leaves off the stems, mix it around in the leftover olive oil, and sprinkle a little salt. Easy there! Place on the cookie sheet.
Lovely little buggers.
Bake on 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Once they start getting brown on the edges then they are ready to pull out of the oven.
Yummy, delicious AND nutritious!
Keep the cauliflower in the oven for about 20 more minutes. I apparently was so excited about the kale that I completely forgot to take photos of my final cauliflowers. Just imagine some gorgeous cauliflower with brown crunchy spots scattered throughout. Yep, it tastes as good as you are imagining it!
How is that for your Next Food Blog Star?! Ha! Oh well, we all make mistakes but the key to achieving your goals is to take notes of those mistakes, try not make the same mistakes and be prepared to make even more mistakes along the way!
There is still time to vote for this always in process food blogger! 
QUESTION OF THE DAY: What were some of your fave foods as a kid?
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I LOVE roasting veggies, they are so freaking good! Brussel sprouts are my fav. Parsnips are also really good too. If you like curry, next time you should try sprinkling some on your cauliflower before roasting.
Great tip! I’ll be sure to do that!
I loooooooove roasting veggies. It seriously makes them take on such a different flavor/texture.
As a kid I was not very into raw veggies.. much more into bagels, donuts, cereal, pizza, and anything else i could get my hands on.
As I kid, breakfast for dinner was big in my family. We did it at about once a week and to this day, my mom’s homemade pancakes are one of my favorite foods ever!
I love roasted veggies. There’s nothing better than roasting a bunch of veggies on a fall or winter night!
I used to LOVE homemade baked macaroni and cheese and meatloaf. Random.
I love roasted potatoes. I still havent had kale yet, I really need to check it out.
PS-I saw your last post. I’ve never watching DWTS (although apparently I know the acronym by heart) and I love the Situation….yet I’ve never seen Jersey Shore
Roasted veggies are my favorite (made a roasted veggie lasagna, which was lots of work but so so good!). Lately, I’ve been roasting hot peppers & tomatoes and making salsa. It never would have occurred to me to roast Kale. I’ll have to try that one
Favorite food as a kid….boxed Kraft mac & cheese. We were never aloud to eat junk, so that was a big treat in my house!
I LOVE roasted veggies. Easiest thing ever!
As a kid… I just had this conversation with my dad the other night. I loved leftover meals. Turkey tetrazzini with Thanksgiving turkey, Western sandwiches with Easter ham, etc. On a day to day basis we never had leftovers in the house, so having them after holidays was a treat! Weird
Oh, I love the picnic thing! I just had a seafood picnic on the living room floor with my boyfriend on Sunday night. Heaven!
I love roasted veggies but have yet to brave roasting kale:( I’ll do it one of these days!
Erin, I came across your blog while casting some votes on foodbuzz. The name of your blog caught my eye… my furry little guy gets a lot of mention in my blog as well.
Then I noticed you’re in Boston. How awesome! I’m in Quincy.
Love your blog so far! I’m looking forward to following it.
And my favorite foods as a kid were, pizza (still is!) and I loved loved loved, cream cheese on townhouse crackers. It was just about the only “after-school snack” I ever had.
Roasting veggies is my fave thing to do and it’s so easy. Ever veggie tastes better after roasting.
I never would have thought to roast kale. And I have voted for you.