roasted baby broccoli and vegetable root chips

so my meatloaf meal from earlier this week has proved to be quite the long-distance runner: i've had enough leftover loaf to feed me for the last 7 meals straight! (that's 3 lunches and 4 dinners for you math geeks out there.) AND, i have enough for lunch tomorrow, dinner tomorrow nite, and lunch again on friday. woo hoo! it's so nice to come home, throw something in the microwave, and have a semi-homemade meal in a matter of minutes. i mean, honestly, i'd love to cook a fresh, tasty meal everynite, but who really has the time or energy nite after nite? at least i'm not having tv dinners. these are "quality" leftovers...

so in the spirit of the food networks' "semi-homemade with sandra lee" series -- a show that i actually cant' stand because of her quasi-perfect soccer mom appearance and deliberate, mom-like speech pattern creating gourmet meals using store-bought staples and sprucing them up with a few fresh ones that seem to take, gosh oh golly, no time at all -- ahem, i decided to spruce up my own "pre-made" meatloaf with a fresh side. the potatoes and greens i made with the original dish were just way to heavy to keep eating without feeling like i had rocks residing in my stomach and i was getting bored of meat and potaotes. so a trip to trader joe's resulted in a package of baby spring mix salad, cliantro dressing, and a package of mexcian baby broccoli. when feeling heavy, eat more veggies.

i decided tonite that i want to explore the effects of a particular cooking technique on different ingredients. my goal is to be able to cook any given ingredient a variety of ways so that i never get bored of having the same ole mashed potatoes or asparagus all the time. having roasted a few spears of asparagus earlier this week, i decided, hey, how about roasting baby broccoli the same way?

thank heavens for toaster ovens. they're perfect for heating/broiling/roasting/toasting small amounts of food, perfect for one to two diners. and you don't have to fire up and pre-heat an entire oven for a small tray of broccoli. i placed a sheet of foil on the pan, tossed on some baby broccoli stalks, drizzled good olive oil, and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. this went into the toaster at 450 degrees. you'll hear the sizzle of oil after a couple minutes and doneness is determined by how "roasted" you want your broccoli. i like mine to be dark green with browning of the flower heads but not over-roasted. this way the stalks are tender-crisp and a hint of sweetness from the caramelizing appears. (i prefer the same technique for asparagus.)

paired with the meatloaf and a handful of salad leaves and dressing, this meal became a quick and easy dinner and felt much lighter in comparison with the heavy potatoes and greens.

but sometimes not having carbs in your meal can screw with your mind. an hour later, i felt hungry again. and although i tried, i couldn't resist opening my 2nd bag of trader joe's vegetable root chips within a week.

i don't eat much junk food but man, these chips are my vice. a TJ's substitute for the pricier (and less tasty) terra root chips, this version contains chips made from sweet potato, sweet potato dyed with beet juice, taro, batata, and parsnips. it is SO GOOD. if i don't literally force myself to stop, i can eat through an entire bag in one sitting. bad.

randomness. one culinary creation i can think of that had the same effect on me was during college where i pan-fried a can of hereford's corned beef hash, microwaved a bag of frozen corn with butter, salt and pepper, and threw all that over a big bowl of rice. and ate it all in one sitting. sad. yet oh so good.

anyway, i'd like to experiment with roasting other vegetables that would make good side dishes using the technique above (with the broccoli, not the hash). any suggestions or personal favorites people?