Roasted Vegetable Medley

For all those readers just interested in the food and not the food facts/story, skip down to the first picture and it will take you to the recipe! For those ready for the full crazy adventure....let's do this.

You may be thinking, roasted vegetables? That's so easy! And you would be right!!!! I think this is the most delicious way to eat vegetables and it is so versatile to pair with all different kinds of things!!! You will be surprised how many vegetables you can eat this way. It is just so yummy and full of flavor with the richness of the roasted tops from the olive oil. It can be eaten in a bowl as is (great for lunches), with flatbread or pita bread, on a bed of pasta noodles, in rice, with a sunny-side up or poached egg on top (one of my favorites) or as a side with dinner/ meat. Whenever we make it, we make big cookie trays at a time. Because once you start eating, you can't stop! And this is a guilt free dish you don't have to worry about eating too much of! Sometimes two zucchinis, a couple stalks of celery, a carrot, one onion, a container of mushrooms, and a bunch of tomatoes later you wonder how you fit all of those veggies in one stomach! You won't have to wonder whether this meal is healthy though! But just in case you are:

(information below obtained from the book 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life by David Grotto R.D. unless otherwise stated)

-Carrots. Carrots contain beta-carotene, vitamin A, fiber, manganese, potassium, vitamin B, vitamin C, may reduce heart disease, aid in fighting cancer, help with blood sugar control, and are good for your eyes!

-Celery. Celery has a reputation for being healthy and low in calories, but did you know that celery contains vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, helps to lower cholesterol, aids in preventing cancer, is antibacterial, and is an anti-inflammatory?!

-Potatoes. Regular old white potatoes have benefits too! Potatoes contain vitamin C, potassium (make sure you leave the skins on and that will give you twice as much potassium as you would get in a banana!), aid in preventing cancer, are heart-healthy, and may reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

-Tomatoes. Tomatoes contain vitamin C, potassium, beta-carotene, antioxidants, aids in preventing cancer, are anti-inflammatory, and are heart-healthy.

-Mushrooms. Why do these taste so good in everything?! Mushrooms vary slightly in benefits depending on the type, but for the most part, mushrooms contain selenium, vitamin B, potassium, vitamin D, antioxidants, aid in fighting cancer, and enhance the immune system. All of these are found in the white button mushrooms we are using in our recipe today.

-Zucchini. Zucchini is at the top of the list of my favorite vegetables which is great because... zucchini contains fiber, manganese, vitamin C, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin B, calcium, and antioxidants. They are also heart healthy, can aid in fighting disease and cancers, can help to lower cholesterol, and can aid in weight loss since it is low in calories and helps to keep you feeling full. (facts obtained from organicfacts.net)

and then to recap on a few we have discussed in the past-

-Onions. Onions contain powerful antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C, folate, are natural chelators (get rid of heavy metals), may decrease the risk of osteoporosis, and may aid in fighting and preventing cancer. They are also heart health by decreasing the tendency of blood clots to form as well as lowering cholesterol levels.

-Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes contain an excellent source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B, manganese, potassium, fiber, may help to fight cancer, and aid in stabilizing blood sugar.

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Olive oil contains heart-healthy fats, is a strong anti-inflammatory food, helps to fight heart disease and cancer, and contains antioxidants. Olive oil can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and risk of coronary disease. As a reminder, it is important to use "Extra-Virgin Olive Oil" or "Virgin Olive Oil" in order to get the least processed oil with the most antioxidants.

Time to get choppin'!!!! Let's put those knife skills to work!

Honestly, so many things taste great in this. Just add whatever vegetables you like the most! For today, I'm using the last of our potatoes, both white and sweet potatoes. If you want to put the veggies over rice or pasta, you can easily leave those out. So today this is what we had around the house to add to our vegetable medley-

Ingredients (amounts are up to you! this is just what I used)
-1 Pint of Cherry Tomatoes
-2 Zucchini
-1 Sweet Onion
-8 oz Container of Mushrooms
-3 Stalks of Celery
-2 Carrots (these were just the organic carrots I found, you can use baby carrots too!)
-2 White Potatoes
-2 Sweet Potatoes
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Seasonings to taste- I used the Savory Seasoning from a previous blog
Cookie Sheet
Cook time- depends on how many vegetables you have/how big your tray is. However it takes approximately 15-25 minutes, or just until it is nicely roasted and has that yummy browned top!

Preheat your oven to Low Broil while you chop chop chop!

Slice all of your vegetables relatively thin so that they can cook through while getting that roasted brown outside from the broiler in a short amount of time. I just sliced my onion and celery into slivers, and my carrots in half lengthwise, and then into little half-moons.

Next up are the mushrooms and zucchini! I am using white button mushrooms today. Make sure you wash and dry all of your produce before chopping as well! Slice your mushrooms in half, and then thinly chop crosswise into pieces. The zucchini is super easy! You can eat the seeds and skin, so you only need to remove the two ends (look for a firm zucchini when shopping, not soft). Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and then again chop into half-moon pieces. 

Last up are potatoes! I left the skins on both the sweet potatoes and the russet white potatoes for some extra health benefits. Chop into thin half-moons so they can cook in time with the rest of the veggies. 

Hard part is done! And it wasn't even hard! Place all of the vegetables on your cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. I like to leave my cherry tomatoes whole so that I don't lose all of the seeds at the bottom of the tray when they cook.

Toss the vegetables with the olive oil to make sure they are all nicely coated before adding your seasoning. Don't be afraid to use that olive oil! It makes it taste delicious and I mean come on, it's a tray of vegetables! Plus olive oil is good for you!

Seasoning time! I used a heavy handed amount of the Savory Seasoning (from Feb 21 blog) to add some extra flavor. You can use whatever seasoning you want though!

Place it in the oven under your broiler and let it do its thing! My tray took around 20 minutes or so, and it is a big cookie sheet!!! 

Now you can eat it just like this, but I love it when it has that nice brown crisp on top. So I put the oven on High Broil, and let it go for only a few more minutes or until I see this- 

MMMMM those pieces are my favorite! In fact, if my husband doesn't make it in here soon I may just pick those pieces right off the tray and eat them! 

SOOO good! A bowl of guilt-free health! I think I am going to make an egg to add on top just to take it to another level! What will you do to make yours even more delcious?!

Enjoy!! Until next time!

Let's get to Cookin'

~Abigail