Roasted vegetables

I don't know about you, but roasting vegetables seems to bring out the very best in them, regardless of what they are. I think I've roasted everything, and almost everything comes out fantastic! (Almost = celery is terrible roasted.)

Roasting your vegetables will give them a wonderfully intense flavor. A key to roasting is making sure that you get a little bit of browning (caramelizing) on your veggies, as this gives them a great sweetness.

The general method is simple:

1. Cut your vegetables into 1-2 bite pieces (i.e. 1" cubes)

2. Toss with 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, or, Pam if you'd like a slightly less "slick" outcome. Remember - olive oil is healthy fat! It also will help fill you up, so don't be shy!

3. Take your baking sheet and cover it with a sheet of parchment paper.**

4. Sprinkle with spices... our favorites are:
- sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and garlic powder
- Hidden Valley Ranch powder (yes, we do have these big ole containers in our cabinet! Blame my dad!)
- Chef Paul Prudhomme's Vegetable Magic
- Mrs. Dash, Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute, or other seasoning mix you enjoy!

5. Cook your vegetables at 425 degrees. Keep a close eye on them when your time gets past halfway - they can go from beautifully carmelized to burnt-to-a-crisp in a flash!
- 20-25 minutes for "soft vegetables" like broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, green beans
- 30 minutes for cauliflower, carrots, and other "medium" crunchiness vegetables
- 40-50 minutes for root vegetables like potatoes, beets, etc.

6. A great way to "finish" your vegetables is to add a sprinkling of walnuts, slivered/sliced almonds, or pecans during the last five minutes of cooking. It will lightly roast the nuts to bring out fantastic flavors, and make you look like a true gourmet!

Some of our favorite combos:
- broccoli and mushroom caps, seasoned with Bragg's Amino Acid and garlic, roasted 20 min. (Toss this blend with tortellini and sprinkle with parmesan for an amazing dinner!)
- carrots seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper
- baby potatoes seasoned with anything! Leave these little babies with their skin on, toss them in generous olive oil and bake for 45 minutes. Your results will be absolutely fabulous and you won't be able to stop eating them! I salivate just thinking about them!!!
- green beans, sprinkled with garlic powder and parmesan. Cook only for about 15 minutes.

**What?? You don't use parchment paper? Parchment paper is fabulous! It's a fantastic way to make clean-up super quick and keep you pans clean of that strange black stuff that becomes permanently affixed to your pans.