Oven roasted Vegetables

Prepping for my Oven roasted Veggies

Vegetables are so good for us, but I've come to realize that it's not just children who don't like to eat their veggeies... many of us are not huge fans of these miracle working foods.

Veggies have so many positives going for them...as a matter of fact, I can't think of one negative but as I say this I can almost hear the chorus behind me bawling out, "they taste awful!!!".

Vegatables are high in fibre so they keep you satiated for longer periods you therefore eat less in the long run. They're high in vitamins and minerals. They are so good for us.

The trick to vegetables is making them taste great! I know, I cannot tell a lie, on their own they are quite bland but so too is all other foods...veggies are no different. It's the seasoning and spices you use that make all the difference.

I like my veggies natural tasting and I try to, for as far as is possible,  keep the nutritional value of my veggies. I blanch not boil. I roast not fry.

Here's a simple, easy recipe I use often. It's quick too. The prep time is the longest part of the process because you have to thoroughly wash and cut all your vegetables. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you want. I even use potatoes and/ or sweet potatoes. A good, thorough washing is essential because more often than not I keep the skins on, extra roughage and fibre.

Ingredients

Cauliflower
Broccoli
Eggplant (Baigan, melongene)
Carrots
Potatoes (red skin are nice because they are smaller than the Idaho)
1 lg. Red onion
1 head of garlic
Olive oil
salt
black pepper
Paprika

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the cauliflower and broccoli florets into chunks

 Keep some of the stems of the broccoli on. These hardy stems are an excellent source of fibre.

I prefer to slice my carrots diagonally and then half them... cut them as you wish. Just don't cunk them. Carrots are hard and you want them to cook evenly with the rest of your vegetables. If you're using melongene, you can cut it in chunks because melongenes are high in water and soft.

I like using red onions. You may prefer the white onion. Try if possible to avoid the regular onions. They are far too pungent, but if this is what you have, use it, just use less ...about half.

So as I said before, you can use potatoes here if you wish... I do. Here I use red skin potatoes. You can use sweet potatoes. They are actually a lot better for you than regular potatoes. They have a lower glycemic index, which simply means they take a longer time to be converted into energy so you stay fuller for longer.

Put all your cut vegetables in a bowl, big enough so that youcan toss them without them falling all over the place. Peel the skin off the individual cloves of the garlic and toss them ino the bowl as well. If you don't like garlic you an leave it out. But garlic is also very good for us. It's a natural antibiotic and antiseptic as well.

Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables. About 3-4 tablespoons. This you will have to judge according to the quantity of vegetables but essentially you want to coat, not soak the vegetables. Add the paprika, black pepper and salt to taste.

Toss the vegetables well so that the seasoning is evenly distributed and them tranfer on to a roasting tray. Put in the oven for 20 mins or until a knife can cut into the potato without resistance. If you did not use potatoes, the knife must go cleanly into the hardest vegetable you used.

Transfer into a bowl and ready to serve. These vegetables will go perfectly with the Dry rub Pork tenderloin or the Broiled lamb. A simple salad finishes off this meal!

Simple and easy and a treat for your tastebuds.