This post is an ode to my trainer. He seems convinced I don't know what a vegetable is. Anyway, long weekend = cooking. Roasted veggies are super easy. You know I love roasting because it brings out the natural sugars and intensifies flavors. Last night, I cranked up the oven to roast sweet potatoes, carrots and Brussels sprouts. I made my distant-cousin-to-the-real-thing version of fried corn on the stove top.
Brussels sprouts are easy. Rinse, trim and cut them in half. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. You can use kosher or sea salt. Always use freshly ground black pepper. I jazzed it up and used lemon pepper this time.
Place them cut side down on a baking sheet and roast them in a 400-425 oven.
Moving on to carrots. Rinse peel and chop. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Spread on a baking sheet and roast at 400-425. Right before they are done, toss with chopped fresh rosemary. If you are using dried rosemary, you can add it when you're giving the carrots the olive oil massage.
No pics of the sweet potatoes, but here's how you do it: Pierce them with a knife after scrubbing them. Place on a baking and roast at 400-425. When you see that awesome clear, sticky goodness drip from the cuts, you know they are done.
Lazy girl's lighter fried corn: Grab a 10" skillet. Add 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp light butter. Warm the oil and then add two slices of turkey bacon. You're trying to flavor the oil, so cook the bacon slowly.
Brussels sprouts are easy. Rinse, trim and cut them in half. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. You can use kosher or sea salt. Always use freshly ground black pepper. I jazzed it up and used lemon pepper this time.
Place them cut side down on a baking sheet and roast them in a 400-425 oven.
Remember, caramelized is synonymous with delicious!
No pics of the sweet potatoes, but here's how you do it: Pierce them with a knife after scrubbing them. Place on a baking and roast at 400-425. When you see that awesome clear, sticky goodness drip from the cuts, you know they are done.
Lazy girl's lighter fried corn: Grab a 10" skillet. Add 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp light butter. Warm the oil and then add two slices of turkey bacon. You're trying to flavor the oil, so cook the bacon slowly.
Once the bacon is done, pull it and replace with some fresh sage leaves. Notice the fond in the pan? That's what you want.
Add a bag of frozen corn. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and cook on low until corn is hot. The thawing corn deglazed the pan. Make sure you scrape up all that brown goodness.
Stir in chopped fresh sage and rosemary if you have it.
I don't add the turkey bacon back to the corn (I would if it got crispy like pork bacon.) I did chop it and eat it with the Brussels sprouts.
The next post will be coconut ice cream!
Hopefully, you're browning the turkey while all of this is going on. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add chopped fresh garlic and onion. 
Now if everything was warm, you could top with the mashed potatoes and bake. Since I was working with frozen veggies, I let mine bake covered, without the potatoes. 
Bake until the potatoes take on some color.
Toast your spices: fennel, coriander and cumin. Toasted whole spices have so much more flavor than pre-ground spices. (If you don't have whole spices on hand, toast your ground spices in a little olive oil and apply them as a paste to the fish. Make sure the paste is cool first.) Once your spices are fragrant (but not scorched), transfer them to a spice grinder. Give them a good whirl.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat olive oil until almost smoking. Carefully add the fish, skin side up, to the pan. Sear for a couple of minutes. 
Carefully flip the fish (you should see good caramelization.) Move the pan to the oven. Cook until desired level of doneness. I'm a well-done, fish-is-flaky, kinda girl. I know ... the food police are on the way.
I added rosemary and a touch of smoked paprika to the carrots and left out the lemon juice. They were good. Next time, I think I'll try cumin and a mix of sweet and smoked paprika. Add the carrots, chicken broth, sugar and seasoning to a nonstick skillet. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the liquid and add your butter and a bit more sugar. You now have glazed carrots!
Dish it up and eat it up! I know the plate is missing some green. I was just too lazy to look for the frozen spinach and I hardly ever have fresh salad greens. on hand The leftover beets were a fine stand in.
See the appropriately sized piece of fish? Yeah. ... I finished the other half straight out of the pan while standing over the stove. My kitchen is a classy establishment.