Roasted Vegetables (all the easy ones)
Roasting a single vegetable with the right seasonings is easy and delicious. You can either cut your veggies into bite-size before you roast them to speed up cooking times or roast them mostly whole.
Pick & Prepare Your Vegetable
You’ll want 1/4 pound to 1/2 pound of a vegetable per person.
Here’s my favorites and how to prep them
Brussel Sprouts - cut off stem and slice in half, roast with the cut half down in a single layer
Sweet Potatoes / Yams - wash well, roast whole low and slow if you have the time until you start to see caramelized yam sugar drip out some corners
Beets - if your beets still have their greens you can cut those off first and use them like celery in other dishes. Peel your beets and cut into small wedges. (Beets will turn your poop and pee red, don’t be alarmed.)
Winter Squash - Butternut, Acorn, and Spaghetti Squash all roast beautifully. Cut them in half and remove their seedy insides. You can roast the sides whole, cut them into 1-3” spears, or cut into bite-size pieces. Generally you don’t eat the skins.
Asparagus - Break off the woody bottoms with your fingers.
Pick Your Spice
Any of these spices will work with any of the vegetables above. Seriously?!?!? you ask….yep for realz. Try a new combination and leave me a comment or tag @jazmintheinsideguide on instagram with what you try out.
Use fresh spices when possible. About 1-3 teaspoons per pound of vegetables.
Cinnamon or Garam Masala
Garlic
Lemon
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
Maple Syrup
You’ll want some sort of fat to help the spice stick to your veggies. Here are the ones that I use.
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Avocado Oil
Ghee (butter with the diary removed)
If your oil is solidified you can melt it in a small stove pan and add your spice(s). If I’m using Olive Oil, I’ll just squirt it over the veggies, sprinkle my spices on top and then toss the whole mixture with my hands.
Roast It
Preheat your oven to between 300 - 400 degrees. Most roasted veggies are best cooked low and slow (if you have the time). Asparagus and Brussel Sprouts can be done in 15 - 30 minutes. Sweet potatoes, squashes, and beets take 45 - 90 minutes if roasted whole, half that time if you cut them up into bite size.
You can use any oven safe pan for roasting veggies. I like to use a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easier clean up.
