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Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes

Maureen — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 22:31:43 +0000

Looking for a quick and easy side that your family will love? Try these delicious Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes and forget about the frozen fries! With their crispy skins and creamy interiors, they’re perfectly at home piled up next to roast chicken or served as home fries come breakfast time. Even better, by choosing a variety of colorful taters, you’ve got a side that looks as good as it tastes!

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Quick and Easy!

These Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes are the perfect side to add to your weeknight (or Saturday morning!) rotation. On the table in 30 minutes or less with only 5 minutes of actual prep time, you’ll love how easy this recipe is.

There’s nothing fussy about these baby potatoes! Simply rinse and slice, toss with oil, herbs, and seasonings, and bake. That’s it! They’re truly that easy and are oh so versatile. Delicious with any meat and wonderful with breakfast, you’ll have no trouble making room for these on your menu.

Feel free to tweak the herbs to your heart’s content. I used fresh rosemary, thyme, and parsley, but don’t hesitate to experiment with what you’ve got. If you’re out of fresh herbs, you can substitute 1½ teaspoons dried.

Delicious and Nutritious!

Despite what you may have heard, potatoes are not merely empty calories. A good source of vitamins C, B⁶ , and folate, plus potassium, copper, and fiber, potatoes are a worthy addition to your shopping list. They’re a great source of complex carbohydrates for lasting energy and even have a little protein for good measure.

As with all things, portion matters. One serving of potatoes is about 5 ounces or 1 cup. Naturally nutritious, watch out for cooking methods and toppings that can turn the innocent potato into something better saved for an occasional treat!

Finding Colorful Baby Potatoes

Though you are more than welcome to use just one variety of baby potato, I love the colorful combination of red potatoes, Yukon Golds and these exotic purple potatoes! I was able to buy mine from Safeway and they were available both pre-packaged and in bulk.

Not only do they look fantastic, but adding a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to your diet is a great way to boost your intake of antioxidants. Though research into the details is ongoing, antioxidants from plant-based foods have an important role to play in neutralizing harmful free radicals in the body, potentially reducing risk for many chronic diseases.

You can learn more about antioxidants and their purported benefits here!

Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes

These Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes are an easy and delicious side that both look and taste fantastic!

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Keyword Baked, Crispy, Herbs, Parsley, Potatoes, Roasted, Rosemary, Thyme

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings 5

Ingredients

1½ pounds baby potatoes (get a variety, if you can!)
2 tsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper, ground
1½ Tbsp minced fresh herbs (I used rosemary, parsley, and thyme)
Oil cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Set aside.
Give your potatoes a good rinsing and then slice into quarters or sixths, depending on how big your baby potatoes are. Dump your cut potatoes into the center of your pan.
Drizzle over the olive oil and give the potatoes a good tossing with your hands. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper, and fresh herbs and then toss again. Spread the potatoes out evenly on your pan.
Pop the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Give the potatoes a stir, spritz with cooking spray, and then bake for another 10 minutes. The potatoes are done when they're spotted golden brown on the outside and soft within. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition information per serving (1/5 of recipe): 120 calories, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 24 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

Did you try this recipe for Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes? Let me know how it went down in the comments!

Hungry for MORE? Check out these other delicious recipes straight from the Diet Oracle’s kitchen!

The post Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes appeared first on The Diet Oracle.

Hearty and Delicious Borscht

Maureen — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 03:00:30 +0000

Welcome back to The Diet Oracle! Today I am bringing you a recipe that is loaded with flavor and packs a nutritional wallop. With its roasted root vegetables and savory herbs, this Hearty and Delicious Borscht is the very definition of rustic comfort food!

If you’ve never had it before, borscht is truly a soup worth remembering. Made with fresh beets, the finished soup is a gorgeous berry-red color. Traditionally served either hot or cold and with or without meat, borscht is a recipe for all seasons and can be tweaked to your heart’s content. Both practical and delicious, it’s no surprise that such a hearty and filling soup would have its origins in Russia and Poland.

Beets?

Now if the thought of beets makes you wrinkle your nose, don’t let that stop you from trying this recipe! Believe it or not, I have never really liked them myself. I’d only ever tried them solo or, even worse, pickled and I just couldn’t get past the taste or texture. It wasn’t until I tried them as an ingredient that I truly enjoyed them.

The first dish I ever had with beets that truly knocked my socks off was a beautiful garnet-red risotto made with pureed roasted beets and chevre goat cheese. I’m telling you now, I have never been so shocked in my life! Despite being convinced I would gag on the first bite, I had never tasted something so complex and so delicious. One of these days I’ll have to try and replicate that amazing recipe!

The second dish that ultimately won me over for beets was–you guessed it–borscht! We have a fantastic European restaurant in the next town over owned and operated by a wonderful woman from Ukraine. Though her menu offers quite the culinary tour of Europe, her Eastern European dishes are some of our favorites. Her recipe for borscht was the first I’d ever had and to this day, is my standard. I like to think that my rendition comes pretty close!

Waistline-Friendly!

Need another reason to dig in? Starting your meal with a hearty vegetable soup like borscht is a fantastic way to lose weight! Studies have shown that individuals who begin their meal with a veggie-packed broth-based soup end up eating 15% fewer calories over the course of their meal when compared with those who don’t.

Why? To begin with, a vegetable-based soup is a great way to physically fill up on lower calorie foods. Plus, in the time it takes you to enjoy that cup of soup, your brain is getting the all-important message that food is going down the hatch. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register satisfaction, so beginning with a low-calorie starter–like borscht–will ultimately help you to eat fewer calories without feeling like you’re eating less!

Vegetarian-Friendly!

Whether you live a veg lifestyle or simply prefer meatless options, this recipe has got you covered. Borscht is easily made vegetarian or vegan simply by swapping in vegetable-based options for the broth and sour cream. And, being meatless, this borscht would also make a lovely addition to any Lenten menu! Though many recipes suffer without the richness meat can provide, the roasted vegetables and fresh herbs bring such a depth of flavor that you won’t even notice it’s meatless. Just don’t forget that dollop of sour cream!

Nutrition Highlights

Though its humble list of ingredients is decidedly unsexy, the nutritional value of this soup is astounding! Thanks to all the root vegetables, borscht offers a smorgasbord of vitamins and minerals, namely vitamins A, B6, C, biotin, and folate, as well as magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, and iron.

Beets in particular have some intriguing nutritional properties and have been used in medicinal remedies for centuries. They are rich in the phytochemicals anthocyanins and saponins, two antioxidants which may offer protection against cellular damage and chronic disease. Beets are also rich in nitrates, which may offer ranging benefits from blood pressure reduction to training recovery. No matter how you slice them, beets are a smart addition to your diet!

I hope you love this recipe for Hearty and Delicious Borscht–I know we do! Whether you’re looking to add a new recipe to your soup repertoire, want to sample an Eastern European classic, or would like to take advantage of its nutritional benefits, you can’t go wrong with a cup of borscht!

Hearty & Delicious Borscht

Whether you like it hot or cold, this recipe for borscht is sure to satisfy! Roasting the veggies brings out their flavor and makes for a truly delicious cup of soup. And whatever you do, don't skip the sour cream!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine European, Russian

Keyword Beets, Borscht, Soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 20

Servings 12

Author Maureen @ The Diet Oracle

Ingredients

5-6 medium-sized beets, peeled and diced small
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups reduced-sodium beef broth (I use Better Than Bouillon mixed with water) Substitute vegetable broth for a vegan/vegetarian variation!
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2-2½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced (I use a slaw mix)
3 Tbsp fresh or freeze-dried dill (I use Litehouse Freeze-Dried Dill)
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
¾ cup reduced-fat sour cream (I like Tillamook)

Instructions

Begin by roasting your root vegetables to bring out their flavor. Preheat your oven to 400°. While it's heating up, pile the beets, carrots, and potatoes onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and give them a good toss with your hands to evenly coat. Spread them out into a single layer and once the oven's reached temperature, pop them in. Roast for 20 minutes.
Once your roasting veggies are about halfway done, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until just softened, about 5-7minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another couple minutes.
Slowly pour the broth into the pot and take a moment to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Then add in the fresh thyme, bay leaf, and tomato paste and give it all a good stir.
By this point, your root veggies should be ready to pull out of the oven. Transfer them directly into your pot and give it all another good stir. Season with the salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup for 40 minutes up to an hour. Once the veggies are tender to your liking, add the sliced cabbage, dill, and red wine vinegar. Stir well and simmer for another 5 or so minutes until the cabbage has softened a bit and the flavors have melded.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with extra dill, if you wish. Enjoy!!
(Note: This soup is definitely one that gets better the next day, making for fantastic leftovers!)

Notes

Nutrition Facts per Serving (1/12 of recipe or about 1 cup served with 1 tbsp light sour cream): 120 calories, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 18 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein

Did you try this recipe for Hearty and Delicious Borscht? Let me know how it went down in the comments!

The post Hearty and Delicious Borscht appeared first on The Diet Oracle.