My favorite appetizer…

 

So I haven’t posted a recipe in a zillion years, okay maybe a month, but either way I was so over myself today I didn’t feel like thinking or writing about myself.  One of my friends is stopping by for appetizers and of course I made my favorite appetizer which I seem to make for every occasion lately because I love it so much, so I thought I would share it with you.  Drum roll, It is roasted veggies with blue cheese pecan dip.

Personally I hate being served a veggie platter with cold carrots, celery, jicama and ranch dressing.  I think it looks and tastes terrible.  This recipe is pretty much eaten by 95% of the people even if they aren’t huge veggie lovers.

 

ROASTED VEGGIES WITH BLUE CHEESE PECAN DIP

• 1 cauliflower

• 1 bunch of asparagus

• handful of fresh thyme

• sea salt

• olive oil

• lemon olive oil

• 1 container blue cheese pecan dip from Trader Joe’s

Heat the oven to 400 degrees or fire up the BBQ, either way you want to roast your veggies is fine with me.  Wash the cauliflower and break it up by hand into large pieces.  I usually break it up while it is in a large bowl, otherwise it seems that pieces fly all over the place.  Once I finish breaking it up, I drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil all over it, sprinkle with sea salt and toss with my hands.  Next, put the cauliflower on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and lay the fresh thyme across the top.  I do this out of sheer laziness.  If you want to chop it properly, go for it, but I do it this way and once the cauliflower is done, you just lift the thyme stems off and throw them away.  Roast for about 20-25 minutes.  You want the edges of the cauliflower brown.  Leave on the cookie sheet to cool.

After you put the cauliflower in the oven, clean the asparagus and break off the ends.  I like to toss my asparagus with lemon olive oil, but it can be expensive and hard to find, so if you don’t have it, no worries, just use the regular stuff.  Add sea salt and roast for 8 -10 minutes.

Today, I didn’t add roasted potatoes, but last time I made this appetizer we were going out on a Duffy and the appetizers were serving as our dinner so I roasted purple and small red potatoes the same way I do the cauliflower and added them to the dish.  If you add potatoes, add fresh rosemary instead of thyme.  It was a super yummy and a filling addition to this plate. 

Once everything is done, you can either lay everything on the plate and put in the refrigerator or if you plan on serving it within a few hours I just leave the roasted veggies room temperature.  Please take the dip out of the plastic container and put it in a nice glass bowl, so you can at least pretend you made the dip homemade.  If asked, I always admit that I bought it but sometimes people think I made it.  HaHa…

Hope you love it as much as I do.  I have to say the dip is super addicting and if it doesn’t get all eaten before dinner, you can always find me standing in the kitchen after dinner finishing it off myself. 

P.s. You might want to consider growing thyme in your garden.  It is super drought resistant and I have found it makes most every roasted veggie taste great.  I grow thyme, rosemary, basil, terragon and sage.  I really never have to think about them, they just survive without much overseeing.  Love that!!!