simple fall roasted veg

Autumn is the time for roasted veg, isn’t it? Summer for us is all about the glory of raw, unadulterated vegetables- pure tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, and the like, which need nothing more than a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt to taste exquisite. As the vegetables get sturdier and hardier and the temperature outside drops, I return to sautéing and roasting. Roasted vegetables are always excellent, and even lackluster or forgotten-about produce is transformed by a hot jaunt in the oven with some oil and salt. Lately I’ve been roasting up a double batch of whatever veg I have on hand, and eating it as part of lunch. It’s wonderful to have something prepped already, and you can throw these into salads, grain salads, buddha bowls, tortillas along with some fresh herbs and perhaps avocado and a grain or bean to make an easy and vibrant meal.

You can really use any hearty vegetables for this, depending on what you’ve got. Beet wedges, halved brussels sprouts, delicata squash rings, small red onion wedges, sweet potato chunks would all be great additions/subs for any of the vegetables. I usually pop in, at the same time, on the other oven rack, whole sweet potatoes (scrubbed and pricked with a fork) to maximize the energy of the oven. We eat the sweet potatoes during the week, simply splitting in half and either warming up in the oven or cut side down in a hot pan to caramelize the edges (so good).

This week, I served these alongside the roasted sweet potatoes, some chickpeas, and a side of tahini ranch (this recipe but I recc. reducing the maple to 1 tsp, adding more lemon, fresh crushed garlic, and thinning it out a bit more) for dipping the roast veg in. Delicious.

simple fall roast veg

1/2 a head of cauliflower
a small head broccoli
4 medium carrots
a few small sweet peppers, or a large bell pepper cut into thickish strips
oil
s + p
optional, for serving: lemon + chile flakes

Preheat the oven to 400f / 200c. Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into florets- but cut them so that they have a flat side as opposed to just breaking into rounder florets (these flat sides = more contact with the pan = more caramelization + flavor). Cut the carrots into thick coins or diagonal slices. Toss with enough oil to coat the veggies well (usually about 2 tbsp or so), and generously sprinkle s+p over.

Transfer to oven and roast until vegetables are caramelized and tender, approximately 25-35 minutes, depending on how large or small you cut the vegetables. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Eat straightaway or store in the fridge for lunches. You can even roast earlier in the day, then pop in a preheated oven for about 5 minutes to reheat/recrisp them up again. When ready to eat, I like to squeeze a bit of fresh lemon over and a sprinkle of chile flakes.