First meal back!

Sorry this picture is kind of crappy... I was starving! This was the first really solid meal I've eaten in two days. After getting back from New Orleans, I caught a terrible stomach bug! It was no good.

So for my first meal back, I did a vegan 'steak and potatoes'. I made some quick mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy. For the tempeh, I cut it in large pieces and marinated it in some lemon juice, fresh chopped garlic, salt and pepper, a splash of olive oil and some Bragg's amino acids (I'm addicted to this stuff!).

My favorite part of the meal, however, was the roasted onions. They came out fabulously... and I would definitely make them again! I was following a recipe from Barefoot Contessa. Now, Ina Garten is one of those Food Network stars that I literally don't even give her more than 5 minutes to convince me to watch her. In my opinion, her recipes are typically very heavy, and full of butter and meat. Besides that, they never seem to be that creative or intriguing. I am really glad I ran out of stuff to watch while I was sick, though, because I ended up watching her whole episode (including this great recipe)! It was a good companion to the mashed potatoes. The recipe is below. I found that I had to make a second batch of the marinade to coat all of the onions.

Ingredients:

2 red onions

1 yellow onion

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup good olive oil

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onion. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onion in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.