The Story:   Make roasted vegetable dishes using remaining root vegetables left in your refrigerator that are losing their beauty-pageant appeal. Try carrots, beets, potatoes, parsnips, onions, and even garlic. The main thing: be creative!  I like to cut purple onions into chunks, peel and slice celery (is celery a root vegetable, really?) or even toss in extra cherry tomatoes and yes, I know they are not roots.   Vary your seasonings, too for instance, a mix of ground cumin and curry powder, ground cinnamon plus a sprinkling of white pepper and sea salt will lend an exotic Indian flavor.

Using a mix of dried oregano, rosemary and basil imparts some Mediterranean flare.  Adding a handful of pitted black olives and a bit of grated lemon peel creates a perfect side dish to pasta. The combinations are limitless! This is the basic recipe to serve 4.

Ingredients:

Any root vegetable, peeled and cut into pieces. For round vegetables, cut them into quarters or eights; long ones into 2” lengths.  Heat oven to 350 degrees

1 ½   Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour ½ Tbs. olive oil into a shallow oven-proof glass pan or casserole, spread evenly.

1. Place all cleaned, cut up vegetables (about 4-6 cups) into a bowl, sprinkle with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper, toss well to coat evenly and pour into the prepared baking dish.
2. Bake, uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until the hardest of the vegetables is done to your liking and vegetables are beginning to caramelize.

Quick Tip:  If including garlic, don’t peel or separate the cloves but instead, cut the entire head in half through the equator and brush both halves with olive oil. When they’re golden brown, the cloves will squeeze out of the peels and can be served on crisp Italian of French bread rounds.

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©MarleneSamuels2013

Tags: Fruits and Vegetables