Any time my oven's on, I try to pop something extra in it. A head of garlic, some beets, a squash, an eggplant... not only does it help me not waste heat, it leaves me with easy-prep meal material later in the week. On Saturday night, I made a meal out of mostly pre-roasted veggies... good for you, and really easy.
Roasted Okra
Wash whole okra pods. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, garlic powder and chipotle powder (optional). Roast at 425 for 20 minutes. Serve hot (don't eat the stems).
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Wash sweet potatoes and cut the ends off. Place in a baking dish and roast at 400 for 30 minutes, or until soft. When ready to eat, split it half and top with roasted garlic or baba ghanoush.
Roasted Beets
Wash beets and trim the ends off. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake until a knife goes easily through them (depends on the size of your beet, but start at 20 minutes and go from there. When cooled, rub the skins off. (My favorite easy way to serve beets is to drizzle them with pomegranate molasses and some raw minced garlic.)
Roasted Garlic
Get a whole head of garlic. Slice off the top, so the cloves are exposed. Rub the top with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cloves are soft and golden.
Roasted Squash
De-stem and slice your squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Place face-down in a dish with about 1/4 inches of water in the bottom. Bake until soft (start at 30 minutes and go from there).
