Roasted Vegetables

Over the years roasted vegetables has been one of those meals I fall back on time and time again. When I was single it was often a meal I would whip up for myself on nights in with just a quick trip to the store for a few veggies. Now that Matt and I are married roasted vegetables are a regular in our menu rotation in a couple different forms. The roasting and balsamic vinegar make all the vegetables so sweet. Chose your favorite mix of fresh vegetables based on what you can find at the grocery store or farmers market that week. (see below for some notes on vegetables to add)

Roasted Vegetables Over Couscous (serves 2)

1 green zucchini
6 fingerling potatoes
1 carrot
1 small red onion
4 brussel sprouts
4 roma tomatoes
olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
sea salt
1 cup instant couscous.

Preheat oven to 400. Cut zucchini, potatoes and carrot into bite size pieces, about 1 inch. Peel red onion and cut into wedges. Peel the first layer of leaves from the brussel sprouts and slice them in half. Quarter and seed the tomatoes. Put all the vegetables into a roasting pan. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to cover all the vegetables. Add balsamic vinegar and sea salt stirring to coat.

Put uncovered into the oven and roast for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender stirring occasionally.

Cook cous cous according to the directions on the package. Serve the vegetables over the couscous.


Roasted Vegetables & Spinach Salad (the summer version of above)

Goat cheese adds a tang that compliments the sweetness of the roasted vegetables & melts from the heat to coat the salad.

the same vegetables as above but substitute roma tomatoes with cherry tomatoes.
2 garlic cloves
Spinach
Goat Cheese

Prepare the vegetables as above except do not add the cherry tomatoes to the vegetables to be roasted. Peel and slice the garlic in half and add to vegetable mixture. Roast the vegetables and garlic as above. Serve the roasted vegetables on a bed of fresh spinach with the fresh cherry tomatoes. Crumble goat cheese over everything.

(Beets are fabulous in this but will dye the rest of your vegetables red. Green beans and asparagus are also good but shouldn't be added until the last 1/2 hour of roasting. If you can get heirloom tomatoes in the summer they are perfect in the salad.)