September 15, 2016
(last updated January 27, 2020) 
Summer may be drawing to a close (it’s barely 70 here in New York today), but I’m nowhere near ready to surrender my delight in freshly made batches of pesto. These bright and beautiful roasted garlic pesto potatoes with arugula from the Oh She Glows Everyday cookbook, which was published last week, are a perfect way to celebrate my last few jars of pesto for the season!
If you’re not a fan of the Oh She Glows blog already, then I hope this post will encourage you to check out Angela’s gorgeous, carefully crafted plant-based recipes. Angela is a master at creating vegan fare that is crowd-pleasing, family friendly, and always a pleasure to eat.
Her smash-hit, first cookbook was a collection of vegan recipes that ranged from occasion-worthy to easy. Her new collection, Oh She Glows Everyday, is a compilation of the everyday favorite recipes that Angela and her family love and rely upon.
I love the theme of this book. I’m a big believer in the idea that there’s a time and a place for every type of recipe, ranging from the “projects” that are all the more rewarding because we’ve taken our time with them to simple staples. But most home cooks these days are busy people with lots of obligations, and simple recipes are often the ones that give back most generously.
The book contains glimpses into Angela’s life at home with her husband and business partner, Eric, and her daughter, Adriana. Clearly, the experience of becoming a mother and juggling the demands of raising a toddler, running a business, and publishing a cookbook helped to shape the new book’s emphasis on simple fare. But, whether simple food is what you’re looking for or not, you’ll find so much to love in these vibrant, flavorful meals, which range from snacks and basics (like homemade nut butters and nut milks) to hearty entrees.
Highlights of the book include such everyday, nourishing meals as Angela’s golden French lentil stew and family friendly recipes, like her Oh Em Gee burgers.
And of course, no collection from Angela would be complete without a sampling of her beloved desserts, including chocolate dipped macaroons and strawberry oat crumble bars.
As you can see, the book has been brought to life with vibrant, beautiful images from Ashley McLaughlin, and there’s an image for each recipe, which means that the whole collection is a feast for the eyes as well as your culinary imagination. As always, Angela’s recipes are clear, well-written, and foolproof.
There are so many recipes I might have shared today, but I can’t help having fallen in love with the flavors of this potato and arugula dish, and I think it perfectly captures Angela’s goal with the collection, which is to transform simple combinations of ingredients into memorable household favorites.
Roasted Garlic Basil Pesto Potatoes with Arugula from Oh She Glows Everyday
Author -Yields: 4
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 2 pounds 900 g Yukon Gold or red potatoes, unpeeled, chopped into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes (about 6 cups/ 1.5 L)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons 22 mL extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the roasted garlic:
- 1 large garlic head
- 1/2 teaspoon 2 mL extra-virgin olive oil
For the pesto:
- 1 cup 250 mL/3/4 ounce/20 g lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 3 to 4 tablespoons 45 to 60 mL hemp hearts
- 1/4 cup 60 mL extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons 30 mL fresh lemon juice, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon 1 mL fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 3 cups 750 mL baby arugula, chopped
- Fresh lemon juice for serving (optional)
- 1 tablespoon 15 mL hemp hearts, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line an extra-large baking sheet (15 by 21 inches/38 by 53 cm) with parchment paper.
- Make the potatoes Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and toss with the olive oil until thoroughly coated. Spread the potatoes into an even layer. Season with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper.
- Make the roasted garlic Slice the top off the garlic bulb so all the individual garlic cloves are trimmed. Place garlic bulb on a square of aluminum foil (about 8 inches/20 cm square) and drizzle the top of the cloves with the olive oil. Wrap the garlic bulb entirely in the foil and place it on the baking sheet with the potatoes.
- Roast the potatoes and garlic for 20 minutes, then remove pan from the oven and flip the potatoes with a spatula. Return the potatoes and garlic to the oven and continue roasting for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the potatoes are golden and fork-tender.
- Make the pesto In a food processor, combine the pesto ingredients and process until mostly smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Keep the pesto in the processor because we will add the roasted garlic as the final step.
- Remove the potatoes and garlic from the oven. Carefully unwrap the garlic bulb and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, until it’s cool enough to handle.
- Turn off the oven and return the potatoes to the oven with the door ajar so they stay warm. (You can also put the potatoes into an oven-safe casserole dish so the dish stays warm when serving.) Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the bulb. You should have about 2 packed tablespoons (30 mL) of roasted garlic. Add it into the food processor with the pesto. Process until mostly smooth—you can add a touch more oil if necessary to get it going.
- Assemble the salad This is the important part where you need to act fast; I like to assemble the salad very quickly so that it’s warm when I serve it. Grab a large serving bowl and place the arugula in the bottom of the bowl. You can break it up into smaller pieces with your hands a bit. Then, remove the potatoes from the oven and quickly place them into the serving bowl on top of the arugula. Toss the potatoes and arugula with the pesto until thoroughly combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sometimes I add another drizzle of lemon juice if I feel like the dish needs more acidity. Sprinkle on the hemp hearts and serve immediately.
Notes
On the rare chance that you have any leftovers, I’ve discovered that this side works great as a cold potato salad. Just serve it straight from the fridge!
Reprinted from Oh She Glows Every Day by arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2016, Glo Bakery Corporation
If you’d like to experience more of Angela’s recipes for yourself, you’re in luck: Angela and her publisher have generously offered a free copy of the Oh She Glows Everyday cookbook to a Full Helping reader. The giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only, and it’ll run for one week. Enter below to win!
Good luck, everyone!
It has been a quiet week here, but I’ve been feeling a little under the weather for the last day or two, so I’m looking forward to the weekend getting underway. Maybe some roasted garlic basil pesto potatoes will be in my future (and yours).
See you for weekend reading!
xo
Food photography from the Oh She Glows Everyday cookbook, including those reprinted in this post, are by Ashley McLaughlin.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Visit my privacy policy to learn more.
Categories: Recipes,
Side Dishes
Method: Oven
Ingredients: Potatoes
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Method: Oven
Ingredients: Potatoes
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Leave a Comment
My favourite everyday vegan recipe is quinoa vegetable chile.
probably mac and cheese or oatmeal 🙂
I like to have a nice spring greens salad almost every day.
My favorite everyday recipe is YOUR tofu scramble! 😀
this potato salad looks awesome! i never thought of adding in basil and arugula but it sounds special 🙂 i already love roasted potatoes haha. my favorite meal is just a big bowl of hummus (maybe topped with more beans, some nooch , and/or spices), served with lots of veggies & bread or crackers or chips. great quick meal to munch while working/studyiing!
I like pretty much any ethnic food, Mexican, Greek, Indian, Italian…
My favorite everyday recipe is some sort of curry stir fry- easy to throw in whatever veggies I have.
Bean salads
I’m actually not a vegan, but I love love LOVE your cashew cheese. I don’t eat dairy, so alternatives are always nice. I love your blog!
Aw, Crystal, thank you so very much!
Soups- so many delicious and healthy options.
Tofu scramble or tofu salad sandwich, but I love the ideas here to broaden my game!
I love soups loaded with vegetables and beans. =)
Roasted veggies with tofu mixed with LOTS of hummus
I love a great vegan soup recipe, especially now that the weather is turning cooler in the US. Chili, chowders, broth-based, I will take one and all of them!
My favorite everyday vegan recipe would be Avocado, Cucumber, tomato salsa chopped up with corn chips for a quick snack. I lived on that while I was pregnant.
I too love salad bowls. The base ingredients change throughout the seasons, and so do the dressings. Gina, I have to say I have kept your sweet dijon vinaigrette on rotation now for quite some time, thank you for the recipe!
I love that dressing! So happy you enjoy it.
I love love salad bowls. It’s the easiest way to make a quick dinner after work, using whatever ingredients and seasonal produce you have on hand. So healthy and delicious.
My favorite everyday vegan recipe is for red lentil and cauliflower curry.
Overnight oats with almond milk are probably
my biggest vegan staple.
I love making a big batch of soup every week and eating it throughout the week, so healthy & deliciously satisfying. Cashew cream is one of my favorite additions to make a healthy soup seem decadent. Thanks for the contest, I’m really excited to check out this cookbook – the first is one of my faves!
I love hummus. All kinds!
The Better Than Balsamic Dressing is always doubled and always in my refrigerator, can’t get enough of it with our garden grown tomatoes!
Angela’s granola is a staple at our house, we get nervous when the container gets low.
Beans and baked sweet potatoes! Also soups, stews, curries, raw fruits and vegetables….
I love hummus! Can eat it every day. So many ways to flavor it!
My favourite is loaded potatoes or sweet potatoes with avocado, salsa, and beans!
I make a big batch of yummy black bean burgers, freeze them and then can pull out one or two and add a quick side or fixins’ . Easy peasy and oh so yummy!
I loved roasted carrots. Thanks for the giveaway!
lentil salad or farro salad
Simple jacket potatoes topped with roasted veg or a big stir fry with all the veggies from the fridge.
Quinoa salads 🙂
I know it sounds kinda cliche, but my favorite everyday vegan dish is salad…I start with beans and grains, add flax seed, and then I chop a bunch of greens (frequently kale, arugula, spinach, and parsley)… then I finely chop a bunch of hard veggies, including carrot, celery, onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, snap peas, cauliflower, etc. And I top it off with flavor pops like olives, pepperoncini, capers, etc. and some seeds (hemp, sunflower, etc)….And I dress it with a lot of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and often turmeric and fresh garlic.
I CRAVE this kind of food, daily.
Love Anything with lentils and coconuts!
I love making grilled veggie sandwiches.
Thank you for the chance to win a copy of the new OSG cookbook, Gena! I really enjoy both your and Angela’s recipes … I’ve been feeling rustic soups lately, but this pesto potato recipe looks great too!
I love making (eating) my baked tofu and hoision sandwiches.
My go-to vegan item is hummus! I eat it every day:)
I love love love roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, the ones with purple skins and a white inside. They taste a little sweeter than yellow sweet potatoes, but I’ve read a few articles saying they’re just as healthy if not healthier!
My favorite everyday vegan recipe is bean salad, so easy and delicious.
One of my favorites is tempeh tacos!
Hummus! I could put it on anything, every day…
My favorite everyday vegan recipe has to be banana ice cream.
Lentils!
Roasted beets with sesame oil and miso! And, oatmeal for breakfast, a hundred different (vegan) ways. Thanks for the opportunity to win this fantastic book.
My favorite food/meal is sweet potatoes! I can eat them any time of day in a variety of ways. Yum! I actually found Angela’s blog years ago through your blog! 🙂
Tacos with everything and anything. The only must is avocado and cilantro!
My go-to is just a big plate of roasted sweet potatoes 🙂 Whatever the season, whatever the time of day!
Great to alternative to regular roast potatoes!
Wonderful! I love making scrambled tofu with tumeric and black pepper!
i love anything that incorporates roasted sweet potatoes!
My absolute favorite is Pad Thai with tofu and veggies!
My favorites are taco salad and a fried rice like dish with quinoa and lots of veggies! I think they are great because they are easy to incorporate plant-based protein, and easily adaptable to anyone’s tastes!
This salad looks amazing though! I can’t wait to see the other recipes
I love making a large batch of hummus to last the week! Beautiful photos!
I like to make tacos with refried beans, guacamole, and other toppings.
This looks lovely! My very favorite recipe at the moment is a simple sauce — one tablespoon tahini, 1 teaspoon miso and 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar whisked together with water. I put it on everything, and I think I will add these potatoes to the list!
Balsamic roasted veggies!