Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

Photo source: http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Oven-Roasted-Vegetables-with-Sage-and-Thyme.jpg

This recipe comes from Marilyn, a Torontonian in her late 60s, and is one of her own creations. The sole purpose of this simple recipe is to use up those vegetables that you have sitting in your fridge before they go bad.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can really customize it to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Keep in mind that some of the vegetables you use will cook differently than others, which is why you need to cut them in appropriate sizes (ie. the broccoli needs to be bigger than the yams). Be creative! Try using other root vegetables, such as beets, carrots, potatoes, or add in some cauliflower, asparagus, parsnips… really, the sky is the limit!

When we were sitting down discussing the recipe, Marilyn mentioned about how she feels that there is so much food wasted these days. It is easier to just throw out produce than it is to try to be creative and use it up. This recipe is a perfect example of how to do just that.

According to WorldVision, Torontonians throw out 17.5 million kilograms of food per year. David Suzuki reports that almost half of the world’s food is wasted! Those figures are astronomically high, which is especially sad when so many individuals are suffering from food shortages worldwide.

Needless to say, we, here in North America, need to think more about what we’re buying before we buy it and how to use all of it up before it goes to waste.

Here are some great articles that discuss food waste and how we can reduce it:

http://www.worldvision.ca/Education-and-Justice/advocacy-in-action/Pages/what-a-waste-the-food-we-throw-away.aspx

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/food-and-our-planet/help-end-food-waste/

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/food-and-our-planet/start-composting-your-food-scraps/

http://www.nrdc.org/living/eatingwell/files/foodwaste_2pgr.pdf

Looking to grow your own Rosemary? Check out our Tip on how to Grow Your Own Herbs!

 

Rosemary Roasted Vegetables – Serves 2-3

2 medium sized yams, sliced into rounds approx. ½ inch thick
1 large red onion, cut into thin slices
2 large portebello mushrooms, cut in half and then into ½ inch strips
2 medium heads of broccoli, cut into quarters
2 medium green or red peppers, cut into eighths
6-8 large brussel sprouts, remove outer leaves and cut in half
½ lb chicken, cut into 1” cubes (optional)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dried rosemary
3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.

Place yams, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, green/red peppers, brussel sprouts and chicken (optional) in a large bowl. Sprinkle rosemary and salt evenly over vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover bowl and shake until vegetables are evenly covered with oil and spices.

Transfer contents of bowl to a 9×13” baking dish. Sprinkle grated parmesan on top of vegetables and then cover with foil.

Cook for 35 minutes. Uncover and add a bit more oil if needed. Return for about 10 minutes more. Once vegetables are tender, it is ready to be served.

Enjoy!