RECIPE: Herbed Parmesan Crisps

There are times when nothing but some crunchy, salty, crispy snack will do. I had one of those cravings the other day. I remembered making parmesan "chips" several months ago, so I decided to experiment ... again. I'm pretty sure this will be a repeat performance snack over and over again in our household ... I hope you will agree!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Fresh grated (not shredded) Parmesan Cheese
your favorite herbs (pepper, dill, italian seasonings, greek ... You choose!)
Olive Oil spray
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray a light coat of olive oil on a cookie sheet. If you have a Silpat, use it. They work great for this!
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese on the pan, spreading it fairly thin. Repeat until you don't have any more room on your pan - Be sure to leave at least 1 inch between the crisps in all directions. (I also made some about the size of a half-dollar for snacking. They were wonderful, too!)
4. Lightly sprinkle the parmesan with your favorite seasonings. I ised a Greek seasoning, Italian seasoning, and Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute. No need to use any salt as the parmesan will be plenty salty without any extra.

5. Bake on the center rack for 3 - 5 minutes. Be sure to watch them and pull the out when they are light golden brown. They will continue to pop and sizzle for a short time after you remove them from the oven.

 (The little crumbly bits are great as seasoning on salads, so don't throw them away!)

6. Repeat process until you have as many as you need/want. Trust me ... They will go fast!

They are wonderful served with salads or spicy dishes!

RECIPE: Roasted Vegetables - Asparagus, Carrots and Sweet Potatoes

You've probably seen my version of Roasted Broccoli - If not, give it a try - You'll be glad you did!

ROASTED VEGETABLES - PLAIN AND SIMPLE

INGREDIENTS:
Olive Oil

1 bunch fresh Asparagus
Sea Salt
fresh ground Pepper
Greek seasoning
Parmesan Cheese

6 Carrots
Sea Salt
ground Cinnamon

1 Sweet Potato (I used a white sweet potato)
Sea Salt
fresh ground Pepper (use a dash of Cayenne pepper for an added bite!)
1 tablespoon pure Maple Syrup (or Agave)
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil (or ghee or butter)
2 tablespoons chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash vegetables, making sure they are all thoroughly dry before you season them. The seasoning sticks better when they are dry, so it's best to wash it well in advance.
A) I left the asparagus in whole spears.
B) Peel, then cut carrots into bite-sized pieces. (You could use baby carrots instead.)
C) Cut the sweet potato into thin slices.
3. Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep dish baking stone or whatever kind of dish you'd use for roasting. Coating the dish evenly. This time I used a 9X13 dish lined with aluminum foil.

 4. Place vegetables into pan and sprinkle olive oil evenly on top. Sprinkle the asparagus with sea salt and pepper. Toss and repeat. You can do all of this in a plastic bag, but I think it leaves too mush olive oil on the vegetables. Sprinkle the carrots with a dash of sea salt and some cinnamon. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with sea salt and pepper.

5. Bake in center of the oven for a total of about 30 minutes, depending on your oven. Check at 10 minutes to turn vegetables to expose bottom sides. Roast 10 more minutes, then check again.
6. Melt the coconut oil, add syrup and chopped pecans.
7. At 20 minutes sprinkle asparagus with parmesan cheese, if desired. (We do!) Stir syrup/butter/nut mixture over sweet potatoes, coating them somewhat evenly. It's okay if some gets on the carrots ... =)
8. Continue roasting for another 10 minutes. Some of the vegetables will be golden brown. The glaze with caramelize on the sweet potatoes.

 Makes for a colorful, healthy, nutritious meal!