My Latest Addiction

I hate watching the news before bed at night. It's so depressing and scary! You would think that there is nothing good in the world going on. The last thing I want to hear about before I fall asleep is who was murdered and who is getting laid off. So what do I watch before bed? The Food Network. Specifically Alton Brown's Good Eats and if I'm not tired Unwrapped. I used to think Alton Brown was just plain weird. I thought his show was stupid and didn't want to hear all of his "useless" factoids. Somewhere along the line though he grew on me and I now love tuning into him and his interesting facts at night.

Last week on the episode Sandwich-craft he made an simple, but delicious sounding Roasted Vegetable Spread. Roasted Veggies, Cream Cheese, EVOO and S&P and you got yourself an awesome dip. When I made this, I altered up the recipe a tiny bit by adding some extra vegetables. It almost reminds me of Panera's Veggie Cream Cheese, but much, much better. The roasted vegetables give the cream cheese a great flavor, especially the sweet roasted garlic flavor. I'm so glad I found this recipe. I'm starting to get bored with hummus and laughing cow cheese, this is a great way to change up my lunches and snacks. I served this with pita wedges, home made pita crisps, and veggies. Besides starring in my lunch this will also make an appearance at my next get together. It's simple to throw together, but the flavor is sure to impress company.

Roasted Vegetable Spread
Source: Alton Brown Good Eats



Ingredients
1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings I used 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 handful broccoli florets
1 handful of baby carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces cream cheese
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (I added quite a bit of pepper)
Challah, foccacia, pita bread, or veggies

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the bell pepper, onion, garlic, zucchini, broccoli, carrots and olive oil in a medium mixing bowl and toss until the vegetables are coated. Spread the vegetables evenly on sheet pan lined with foil and place to the oven. Roast, tossing occasionally, until they are soft and are beginning to turn brown around the edges, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.


Place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor along with the cream cheese and process until well combined and spreadable; do not process until completely smooth.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread on soft bread, such as challah, foccacia, pita bread, or serve with vegetables. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.