Painlessly roasted vegetables

It's such a treat to discern the subtle differences in flavor of vegetables. Yet it is so simple to bring the flavors out by roasting.  Really, there's no wrong way to roast veggies, but it can be intimidating and often requires some advance planning.  I love to roast a big batch when I have plenty of time and then use throughout the week.


Make sure you have:
- nonstick baking sheet or roasting pan
- good olive oil
- salt & pepper
*optional seasoning of your choice (tony cachere's for spicy, garlic salt or spike for savory etc.
- veggies of your choosing

• squash family - eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash etc
• mushrooms
• root veggies - carrot, onion, potato, sweet potato, shallots
• kale!
• cherry tomatoes
• garlic (see note on this one)

And then:

- preheat the oven to 350º F  (you have some flexibility on this)

- chop to a consistent size and place on baking sheet 

- season all with a fair amount of salt and pepper

- use your hands to gently toss the veggies with olive oil and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until you can easily insert a fork in the pieces.  it takes much longer for dense root veggies to roast than it does for delicate zucchini and depends a great deal on your oven.

Note

roasting garlic - I love this flavor, but it can be a little trickier.  to  do this, chop across the top of the bulb to expose the individual cloves. Place in the center of a square of heavy duty aluminum foil and drizzle the exposed cloves with olive oil.  Bring the corners to wrap the clove in foil.