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One of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables is to roast them. This is not a very difficult thing to accomplish and there is great value in cooking up a large batch of roasted vegetables and having them on hand for a few days, ready in an instant as an accompaniment for any dinner or as a healthy snack to munch on when the late afternoon munchies appear.

1. Look for fresh vegetables which are blemish free. Some great choices include peppers (use a variety of colored ones), onions, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, and mushrooms.

2. Cut the vegetables uniformly, making sure that they are the same size and if they are dense, like carrots, make them smaller so they will cook in the same amount of time.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the vegetables with a little oil of your choice. I used about 3 tbsp. of cannola oil and I found that for this batch it was a little too much, so I guess it’s true: less is best! I also added 4 cloves garlic, (minced), 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and some ground fresh peppercorn medley. Toss the vegetables and lay them in a single layer in a roasting pan. Give them room as the less crowded they are the better they’ll brown.

4. Place the pan on the middle rack and roast for about 10 minutes. Stir them, add seasonings such as thyme or rosemary,  and cook for another 10 minutes or until they are tender. If they are not browned enough, turn on the broiler! Works great as you can see!