My Secret Weapon

Pssst - wanna hear a great secret??? Roasting vegetables is the way to wonderful food! Several years ago, Wegman's (our local grocery store that has won national awards) did an in-store demo and companion hand-out on how to roast vegetables. Basically, you cut up vegetables, toss them in olive oil, and cook them at a high temperature until they are tender. Since then, every single time I have roasted vegetables, no matter what kind, they have come out FABULOUS!!! At first I used to add salt, pepper, minced garlic, and various herbs. Lately I've just done the veggies and oil. No matter what, they come out tasting fantastic. How can you not love something so easy that makes you look so good? Here's a list of various veggies and their times and temperatures:

carrots, onions, peppers, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, potatoes
cut into chunks of about the same size, any mixture of the above
450 degrees for 40-45 minutes

brussel spouts - whole - 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes, quartered - 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Mushrooms - 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Leeks - 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes

In each case, give them a stir about half-way through.

Any vegetable not mentioned above - just google it for approximate times or use the above as a guideline.

If you have leftover roast vegetables, they can be pureed with a little chicken or beef broth for a hearty soup. It's good as is or can be jazzed up with meat, etc.