Sheet Pan Dinner Without The Star

Meat, whether, it's' beef, chicken, fish, or pork is the main course and main reason for a sheet pan dinner. Yet what happens when there is no meat. Then let veggies rule supreme. They can create a tasty dinner on their own.

Melissa Clark tackled this in yesterday's weeknight cooking issue in The New York Times Wednesday Food section.What is the protein in a meatless sheet pan dinner? Beans.  They can be crunchy and golden or soupy and soft like they are in chili.Cooking them in an oven is a snap be cause you don't have to worry about them browning.Ms. Clark gives a delicious recipe for tostadas with roasted black beans, These are cooked with canned sliced tomatoes and a chipotle chile in adobo sauce. This may a bit involved because you also have to roast yellow and red peppers. The two pans are put in 400 degree F oven for half an hour. Both have to be tended to often with the beans being stirred every ten minutes or so.The tortilla are added with a third sheet pan. This is just to crisp them and it only takes five to seven minutes. It's them piling the beans and peppers on the tortillas and topped with crumbled queso fresco along with cheddar For more flavor Ms. Clark suggests making cumin salt which is cumin salt and lime zest mixed together and sprinkling that on top. A squeeze of lime is optional but gives the tostadas a fresh zing.

Another protein Ms Clarks suggest is tofu or tempeh. Start with these, add vegetables, some kind of fat for browning and any seasonings you like. One of her favorites is tofu marinated in tamari - soy sauce without the wheat  added. She then coats the squares  in cornstarch and baked until they're crunchy  The veggies Ms. Clark suggests is sweet potatoes. They're cut into wedges  that turn velvety in texture however broccoli and mushrooms . She also recommends not spraying the pan to make it easier to flip them.It would take away the crunchiness and inhibit the browning. I would say use it because it makes it easier to turn and to wash the pan afterwards.Another idea is chickpeas  which is like a fun appetizer when they're roasted. Ms. Clark pairs them with cauliflower and roasted lemons. Again she uses two sheet pans to cook. The cauliflower, tomatoes and jalapenos are cooked on on pan with oil and salt while the chickpeas and fingerling potatoes have been roasted on another, after they've been doused with a spiced oil, rife with turmeric and cumin,

Sheet pan dinners are an easy cook after a busy day. What's great about them is that they can be veggie centric as opposed to meat. The veggies and beans can provide a tasty and simple, easy to make dinner.