Sequestration Meal #557

 

I was having one of those "all I want to eat are veggies" days, so I accommodated myself as follows: Roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes (recipe from Eat Yourself Skinny), squash casserole (recipe from The Hidden Veggies), and garlicky white beans with tomatoes (inspired by and veganized from Cookie Rookie).

As the weather shows signs of a warmer season coming, I am suddenly wanting to have my oven on all the time, probably because I know no-oven times are coming soon enough. But I was super happy with these oven options! I don't know if I've ever roasted broccoli and wow, is that delicious when it crisps up and is coated in spices. Sweet potatoes are always a joy, of course, so I knew that would be a good recipe.

I baked the veggies a bit longer than suggested at a slightly lower temperature so the squash casserole could go in with it. I loved this casserole. I made it with bread crumbs because I had scaled it down significantly and I didn't want to open a package of stuffing mix for such a little amount, but I would definitely try this again with the stuffing mix, too. Growing up, I enjoyed a similar casserole (not vegan, of course), and I remember making it for myself in my very first apartment and being so proud of myself. Back then, I hadn't figured out that I should scale down recipes, and instead I would make the big batch for a family and eat it by itself for every meal (including breakfast) until it was gone.

As for the beans, I like that this recipe is pretty hands off and mostly consists of dumping ingredients in a skillet and letting it simmer. I did have to slice some garlic but that's not a heavy lift. Beans are always a compromise when I'm in my avoiding-standard-proteins phases, but I am learning that doctoring up a can of beans is often very easy and ca result in something I can just as easily be convinced to actually eat.

Though the colors are more muted than they would have been if I'd steamed the broccoli and sweet potatoes, I still appreciate how many different colors are present here, too.