Roasted Vegetables with Wild Rice & Balsamic Reduction

Roasted Vegetables with Wild Rice & Balsamic Reduction

She wasn’t kidding, my sister Jill, that is.  She has been raving about the glories of balsamic vinegar reduction for ages, but I finally succumbed.  I’m delighted that I finally listened & tried it for myself!  Jill is one of my 3 sisters, the one who has the elegant dinner parties, of which she cooks & bakes all on her own.  She’s very skilled in the kitchen, and entertains like no one’s business!  (Why is it that I feel like I’m naming off the personalities of the Spice Girls whenever I describe one of my sisters?)!  Yikes!

 Anyway, “Posh Spice”…<kidding> is always on a quest to make healthy meals delicious & seemingly indulgent.  That brings me back to balsamic vinegar reduction.  She uses this syrup for many different things, and I can see how it would add depth to dishes both savory & sweet.  A couple of things I’ll mention…this couldn’t be simpler, it couldn’t be any more delicious, & I’m amazed at how much the flavor changes, and how rich it becomes!  One taste, & I was envisioning a dollop of deliciousness on berries…oh the possibilities

So, let’s dive right it, shall we?!

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, washed, dried, & separated into florets

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 cup baby carrots, sliced lengthwise 

1/2 cup frozen small peas

1/8 cup pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds), as a garnish

1 cup grape tomatoes

olive oil

salt & pepper

3 cups cooked wild rice blend (I purchase mine from Sprout’s bulk bin section)

1 cup balsamic vinegar

brown sugar, a few pinches

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F, meanwhile prepare the vegetables (all but the tomatoes & peas) & arrange on a jellyroll pan.  Drizzle with a little olive oil, then using your hands, toss the vegetables to lightly coat with the oil.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.  

Place in the oven, and roast until desired doneness, (We prefer our vegetables crisp-tender for the most part).  Add the peas & tomatoes, just long enough to heat, but not burst open.  Remove from the oven, set aside. 

For the balsamic reduction:

In a small stainless steel, glass, or other non reactive saucepan, add the vinegar & a few pinches of brown sugar.  Heat & allow to barely simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring, until the liquid has reduced by half, drizzle a little of the reduced balsamic vinegar over the top, reserving the rest to be served for individual portioning.  Sprinkle the pepitas over the top as a nutty garnish.  Serve warm.

Recipe Notes:

Pretty darned healthy, delicious, & definately a lovely veggie alternative!  You could use a wide range of fresh vegetables in place of what I’ve shown here, this is just what I had on hand.  Another note, the reduction becomes thicker as it cools, but you can thin the consistency quite successfully with just a little water.  Enjoy.  Thanks, Jill!  You’re rock solid, as always!  🙂