Roasted Veggies

If you don't like a particular vegetable, or are not sure if you like it, try it roasted.  Roasting makes every vegetable super tasty--even broccoli, spinach, or celery, veggies you wouldn't necessarily think of putting in the oven.
     Not clear on what roasting is?  It's baking at a high temperature -- like 400 or above.  How to roast most veggies: toss with a little olive oil and generous sprinkle of salt & pepper, lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet, and roast at 425 or 450 until the edges of the veggies are brown & a little crispy, and the insides are soft.  The timing will depend on what veggie you're roasting.  Some examples:

• Asparagus: 12-15 min
• Broccoli florets: 17-20 min
• Cauliflower florets: 35-40 min
  
• Chopped kale or other greens: 3-6 min
• Zucchini chunks: 30-35 min
• Butternut Squash chunks: 30-35 min
• Snap Peas: 10-12 min
• Fingerling potatoes: 30-35 min
• Sweet potato chunks: 30-40 min
• Frozen corn (rinse kernels under hot water to thaw first, drain well): 12-15 min
  
• Apple or pear chunks (not a veg, but yes, roast them!): 15-20 min
  
• Garbanzo Beans (not a veg, but yes, roast them!): 20 min
• Tofu cubes (not a veg, but toss with your fave sauce & roast it!): 20-30 min

....and the list of yummy things to roast goes on.  Some other roasting tips:

• Make sure all your veggie chunks are the same size, so they're done cooking at the same time.
• Don't overload the baking sheet -- a single layer is key for the veggies to brown.  If you overload, the veggies will steam each other and you'll get a big pile of mush.
  
• Amount of olive oil you use is up to you, but to get the vegetables to brown/caramelize, they need to be well-coated.  Not swimming in oil, but coated.  This will also prevent sticking.
• Lay a piece of foil (shiny side down) on your baking sheet to reduce clean-up time.
  
• Sprinkle dried herbs of any kind along with your salt & pepper to boost flavor of the veggies.
• Experiment with different kinds of salts & peppers -- these can bring out different flavors in the veggies.  And don't skimp on the salt--it makes all the difference in the taste of the veggies.
  
• Try adding some minced garlic to the olive oil before you toss the veggies in it--your house will smell divine, and you'll think you've become a gourmet cook!

 Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with dried thyme

My new favorite thing to roast: chopped greens.  Toss with olive oil and minced garlic,

then roast for 6-8 minutes until the edges are crispy.  So good!!