Roasted Vegetables

Roasted Vegetables are a tasty and healthy side dish. It’s a favorite dish in my house! We like to serve the roasted vegetables alongside grilled chicken, lamb, beef or other meat.

There’s a bit of prep time involved in order to wash, peel and cut the vegetables. Also, you’ll need to know that some vegetables will roast quicker than others, so add the more delicate ones later in the roasting process. Potatoes and beets take longer to roast than mushroom caps.

I like to use a Silpat mat for easy clean up. It’s a non-stick mat that I use for roasting and baking. You can use parchment paper to line the pan. Sometimes the vegetables may stick to a non-lined pan, even if it’s greased.

So how do you start? Just prepare the vegetables, put them on the pan, toss them in some olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and maybe some fresh or dried herbs, and roast!

Serve the roasted vegetables with your favorite meat or fish.

I love to make roasted veggies all year round. Serve them chilled with a vinaigrette as a summer side dish. Enjoy!

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

Pick your favorites such as:

Baby potatoes, unpeeled, cut in half (I like to use purple, yellow, and red potatoes)
Beets, peeled and cut into one inch chunks
Butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
Brussels sprouts, halved
Carrots, peeled and cut into one inch chunks
Cauliflower florets
Small yellow onions, quartered
Pear tomatoes, halved
Broccoli florets
Zucchini squash, cut into one-inch chunks
Yellow squash, cut into thick slices
Asparagus spears, tough ends removed
Haricots verts (thin green beans), trimmed
Bell peppers, sliced into fat strips
Whole peeled garlic cloves
Mushroom caps, whole or halved

Olive or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Your favorite dried or fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, savory, oregano

The above list is ordered by roasting time. Baby potatoes will take longer to roast than mushroom caps.

Special tool: Silpat mat for baking pan. You can use parchment paper as a liner if you don’t have a Silpat mat.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with a Silpat mat for easy clean up.
3. Assemble your prepared selected vegetables on the Silpat. Toss with oil to coat. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.
4. Roast vegetables for up to 60 minutes, checking on their progress. Roast the denser vegetables longer, adding the thinner and less dense vegetables halfway through the roasting. Stir the vegetables a few times during the roasting. You do want some caramelization on the vegetables for the best taste, so let them roast until browned.
5. Add the mushroom caps and the herbs about 5 – 10 minutes before the end of roasting. Be sure to toss after adding the mushrooms and herbs.
6. Toss and serve!

Serves 4 – 6 depending on how many vegetables that you roast. Offer as a side dish to roasted chicken, grilled steak, or seared fish.

Variations: Use your favorite vegetables and mix it up each time. You might want to test this recipe with different vegetables to see how long each vegetable takes to cook through. Size and density of vegetable will affect the roasting time.

Order your own Silpat mat from Amazon.com:

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