Recipes for Roasted Vegetables with Za’tar and Spring Vegetables with Fresh Herbs
A mezze platter would not be complete without breads, dipping sauces or spreads, and small dishes of either vegetables, meats, or cheeses. My family prefers some small plates of different vegetables and olives to accompany our mezze platter.
Last week we had an abundance of red potatoes, purple potatoes, carrots, and assorted spring green vegetables. Using this beautiful array of vegetables, I decided to create two small plates for our mezze night. The first dish consisted of roasted carrots, potatoes, and black olives tossed in za’tar and olive oil. Za’tar is a common savory spice blend, containing thyme and other herbs, in Middle Eastern cuisine. The second small plate featured asparagus, green beans, peas, garlic scapes, and serrano pepper lightly cooked with fresh herbs and lemon. We had a great time nibbling delicious bread smeared with fava bean hummus, roasted vegetables drizzled with cilantro mint sauce, and spring vegetables with crisp scallions. With a fabulous mezze array and a glass of your favorite beverage, it’s easy to nibble the night away!
Spring Vegetables with Garlic Scape, Oregano, Sage, Serrano, & Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups green beans trimmed and blanched*
- 8 spears asparagus trimmed and blanched*
- 1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas trimmed and blanched*
- 2-3 garlic scapes (tender part of stalk and bulb minced)
- 1 tbsp fresh sage minced
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano minced
- 1 serrano pepper minced (seeds removed)
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 bunch scallions trimmed and sliced lengthwise in half
- 1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable broth for cooking.
Instructions
Crispy Scallions
- Place trimmed and sliced scallions in an air fryer and cook until crispy. About 5-10 minutes. Remove and set aside. If you do not have an air fryer the scallions can simply be added to the garlic and pepper and cooked with remaining vegetables.
- Heat olive oil or vegetable broth over medium heat. Add garlic scapes and serrano pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add blanched asparagus, green beans, lemon juice, and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes. You want the vegetables to be warm and tossed with the herbs but still crisp. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar snap peas.
- Top with crispy scallions and serve as small plate to accompany other mezze. (Note this is also excellent served over your favorite grain or noodle).
Notes
Roasted Vegetables with Black Olives and Za’tar
Ingredients
- 2 cups peeled and chopped carrots
- 2 cups mixed baby potatoes chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted black or mixed olives
- 2 tbsp za'tar
- salt and pepper to taste
- drizzle of olive oil or vegetable broth for roasting
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Toss chopped vegetables with olive oil and za'tar and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Place prepared vegetables on baking a lined baking tray and roast for 30 minutes.
- Add olives to the tray for the last 10 minutes of roasting.
- Serve as a side dish, main meal over grains or rice, and top with cilantro mint sauce if desired.