Nutritious Fast Food

If you want an easy, nutritious and fast way to prepare vegetables, roasting can't be beat. The end of summer and Fall season is a great time to start roasting vegetables. I love roasting because its easy and it coax flavors out of the vegetables that can be reached by simply boiling or steaming. When you boil or steam, you can only get the temperature of the vegetable up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. But if you can get the temperature above 330 degrees Fahrenheit, the delicious process of canalization kicks in. This means at these hotter temperatures, the natural sugars in the vegetables (meats and breads, too!) turn nutty and sweet, browning and crisping the exterior. You get a new flavor and texture, just by changing the method of cooking!

I roast vegetables all the time. Our favorite is broccoli and Japanese Sweet potato. It is so appealing because you can roast your meat at the same time as your vegetables, making preparation a breeze. Or if meat your cooking doesn't roast at the same temperature as the vegetables, you can roast your vegetables while your meat is resting. Because roasting is a quick-cooking method at high heat, many vegetables can be roasted in the time it takes for a meat roast to finish cooking with carry-over heat. It's also a more nutritious way of eating your vegetables, as boiling and steaming can leach out some valuable nutrients that are retained during roasting. Above is a great chart that I have used for roasting my vegetables. Try roasting vegetables that you normally aren't fond of eating because you may find you enjoy them more, roasted. (If you "click" on the chart, it will open in another window, making it more readable and easy to print off and keep handy. I really am trying to make things easier for you to want to cook;-)

Roasting a variety of vegetables together, not only makes a beautiful presentation on the plate, but it also provides variety. It can make a simple meal more "fancy" or special. I'll never forget the time when I roasted chicken with a variety of mixed vegetables, including parsnips, sweet potatoes, white potatoes,carrots, broccoli, onion and garlic. When I put dinner on the table, my family wanted to know what the occasion was that we were celebrating. It looked "gourmet", but was one of the simplest meals I ever prepared! Another nice aspect of roasting is that they reheat well the next day, so you can save time by roasting a large piece of meat with a lot of roasted vegetables and you can get 2-3 meals out of it. And then when there is just a little leftover meat and vegetables, I make a pasta toss (like my Szechuan Noodle Toss from Day 1), adding the leftovers and stretching out yet another, different, but delicious meal. I would roast every day if I could get away with it. It's just that simple. And you can roast on the BBQ grill if you are able to maintain an even cooking temperature. Apply these same recipes to the grill, uses grill-safe pans (or disposable aluminum pans) and be sure to maintain even cooking temperatures. You can even add some water-soaked smokers chips in a smoker box to your grill for add smoky flavor. Below are some recipes that will hopefully inspire you to roast and bring homemade goodness to your table without sacrificing a lot of time. Mangia!

Roasted Vegetables- in addition to whatever vegetables I'm roasting I like to add one whole onion, cut in wedges and a handful of garlic cloves, left whole for flavor. It works will all vegetables and all seasoning mixes listed below. (You can omit the garlic if you like, but it take great spread on bread after it's roasted.)


1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Prep vegetables using chart above.
3. Toss vegetables with:
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin, olive oil or canola oil
And one of the Seasoning mixes listed below
4. Spread vegetables evenly on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan
5. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are tender. See above chart for times.

Seasoning Mixes

Lemon-Herb: 2 Tablespoons of fresh,rosemary and oregano (or 2 teaspoons, dried), 1 teaspoon freshly-grated, lemon zest, 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Spicy: 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika (regular will work, also), 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. (This is the boys favorite way to eat sweet potatoes.)

Asian: 1 Tablespoon of sriracha (garlic-chile sauce), 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce, 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper (you can substitute red pepper flakes if you don't have white pepper.