Roasted Vegetables

One of the favorite ways to fix vegetables at my house is also very simple. Roasting them in the oven smells great, looks great, and tastes even better.

This photo shows some veggies from the other night ready to go into the oven. As it happens, they are all from our garden except for the purple onion.

On the baking sheet, we have Butterstick squash, purple onion, tomatoes, raw jalapeños, an unusual bell pepper that is starting to get red streaks, and a poblano chile.

Obviously you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand or find in the market (or your garden). Smaller and softer vegetables cook faster than the squash (for example), so if you find certain ones are too withered and overcooked, next time keep them out initially and add them later.

To roast vegetables, I like to rub them with olive oil, and then sprinkle them with garlic salt and pepper. Put them in a pre-heated 375 degree oven, and they will be done in 30 to 40 minutes. Keep an eye on them. You want them to have brown edges, and taste tender – crisp, not mushy. You can stick a long fork in the squash once in a while to see when it gets soft. Small items, like the jalapeños, asparagus, green beans, and the like will be done much sooner than the squash and onions. Just experiment and enjoy. Smells good, too!