Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower

For some reason, I have had some difficulty making vegetables really delicious and savory (without butter). The following recipe is not only really yummy, but its method of cooking, roasting, is also one of the healthiest ways to cook vegetables. It was simplified from a Martha Stewart recipe: http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/roasted-vegetables?lnc=12980c8668ec9110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=cf_link


Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower

Serves 5-6.

1 lb. carrots, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 cauliflower head, chopped (I prefer yellow cauliflower since it has more nutrients)
1 lb. shallots, peeled and halved
3 rosemary sprigs (optional)
3 TB olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 9X13 baking pan, combine vegetables, shallots, oil, and salt and pepper. Mix. Top with rosemary sprigs if you like. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour at 350F. Remove aluminum foil. Return to oven to bake 1/2 an hour longer.


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Roasting Vegetables

Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, in our case we use the oven. Roasting vegetables is actually one of the most nutritious ways to cook them. Because many vitamins in vegetables are water-soluble (including the vitamin B complex and vitamin C), they can leech out if they are cooked using water, as in boiling. FYI, water-soluble means that they will enter into solution if it is water based. Some vitamins like A, D, E, and K, on the other hand, are fat-soluble. That is also why if you make vegetable soup, it's a good idea to drink the broth, provided it's not too full of unhealthy substances like oil! The vitamin that we want to preserve in our carrots is vitamin A while cauliflower is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and the mineral folate.