Winter Vegetable Roast

A simple veggie roast is our standby quick meal, and the baked version of another standby meal, the Fry-Up. You can use whatever vegetables (or meat) that you have on hand. We made ours two nights ago with potatoes, onions, garlic, and half a yellow bell pepper.

Mix everything with liberal amounts of olive oil and whatever herbs or spices you like, and bake until it's done. This is also really good with cut up sausage in it, and almost any vegetable makes a great addition- celery, carrots, squash, or greens like kale and chard. We've also done this with slices of lemon in it! This one we ate with smoked herring for some protein, and steamed carrots, another standby in our house. I cut up carrots into thin strips (not nearly so elegant as matchsticks, but along those lines), steam them for five minutes or so, and then dress them with extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon juice, and pepper. The trick is to get them cooked just the right amount, not mushy but not hard.

(Sorry about the photo quality. The lighting in our kitchen at night is abysmal). 

The last few days, I have been able to come home a couple hours earlier than usual, and it has made me so happy to get extra time at home, in the daylight, to do outside chores, and cook and clean, and hang out with Matt. Unlike the last couple of weeks, I have done the cooking for the last few dinners, the veggie bake and then a cheesy tuna noodle casserole last night (not as heart-healthy as most of our meals, but comfort food for Matt, who has come down with a cold). Tonight I'm planning to make a simple veggie soup and a salad. It makes all the difference to feel connected to home again after a couple weeks of chaos and class and late nights.