Roasted Veggies

ROASTED VEGGIES OVERVIEW

Roasted veggies are wonderful on their own or as a side dish. We like to add whatever vegetables and roots are in season and available. This is a dish we enjoy year round. In this version we used butternut squash, sweet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, onions, and carrots. They are slathered with olive oil, parsley, garlic, rosemary, and basil, then served with Organic Spicy Peanut Sauce.

Keep reading for the trick so you don’t burn your  aromatics. If you don’t know exactly what an aromatic is, don’t worry. An aromatic is simply a plant that emits a pleasant and distinctive smell. Think garlic, shallot, basil, parsley, etc. These add wonderful flavor and aroma to a dish but not if they are burnt.

The amount of ingredients we use in this recipe will make a whole platter of vegetables. If you are cooking for yourself, you’ll have roasted veggies to snack on all week.

Prep Time: About 50 minutes, slightly longer if you have to peel your squash.

Ingredients: Roasted Veggies and Recommended Herbs

• 1 butternut or acorn squash (peel it, slice it, remove the seeds, and cube it into bite-size pieces)(you can also buy pre-cut squash and save some time)
• 3 medium carrots (peel and cut into bite-size pieces)
• 1 large sweet potato (peel and cut into bite-size pieces)
• 1 large onion (peel and cut into bite-size pieces)
• 3 large Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes (wash and cut into bite-size pieces)
• Sweet basil (wash and chop finely) (As an alternative use basil pesto that you make ahead of time and pull from the freezer)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parley (This can also be in your mixed herb pesto that you make ahead of time and pull from the freezer as needed)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (Again this can be in a mixed herb pesto made ahead of time)(Chances are, you or a neighbor are growing this very fragrant, rugged, drought tolerant, perennial. Use nature’s generous gift.)
• 2 cloves garlic crushed (Or, use a pesto that has garlic in it)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• A couple of pinches of salt and pepper
• One jar Organic Spicy Peanut Sauce
• Alternatively Organic Original Dipping Sauce – Medium or Hot, mixed with either mayonnaise, sour cream, plain Greek yogurt or a combination. Use medium or hot to suit your heat preference. If you are serving multiple people, then give them some options of flavor and heat.

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl combine potatoes, carrots, onions, and squash and mix well.
2. Add salt and pepper to lightly cover

Flavor the Oil and Reserve the Aromatics

3. Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat
4. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, basil, rosemary, and parsley (Or, again use pesto that you made ahead of time)
5. Add fresh ground pepper to coat the top and a pinch of salt
6. Stir constantly until garlic begins to turn golden. This will only take a few minutes.
7. Once the garlic begins to turn golden brown remove the pan from heat and using a rubber spatula get every last bit of oil into a strainer placed in a large bowl.
8. When the oil stops dripping through the strainer remove the herbs/garlic mixture and set aside

Combine Veggies and Bake

9. Add the combined veggies, potatoes, and squash into the bowl and mix oil thoroughly
10. Place the mixture of ingredients on baking sheet or in a roasting pan and bake in 375 degrees oven until vegetables are cooked, about one hour.

Serving Roasted Vegetables

Remove roasted veggies from the oven and toss with the reserved aromatics. That garlic, basil, rosemary, and parsley are still fresh and full of life. Now you see why you didn’t bake them for the last hour. Serve roasted vegetables topped with Organic Spicy Peanut Sauce – Hot or Medium. This is an excellent side dish to any main course but if you’re in the mood for veggies galore – this IS your main course. This is the way we often eat this meal.

An alternative serving suggestion is to use Organic Original Dipping Sauce – Medium or Hot, mixed with either mayonnaise, sour cream, plain Greek yogurt or your desired combination. Use medium or hot to suit your heat preference. Serving tip: make your guests feel special by providing them with sauces in personal-sized ramekins. This way they can have the flavor they most enjoy and they can double dip, triple dip, mix dip and do whatever they please. Everybody is happy.