Sweet and Sassy Roasted Veggies

I recently asked my Facebook readers if they had any recipe requests. The first response was from my dear friend Lynda, asking for healthy roasted veggies. Not knowing her favorites, I set out to create a recipe that I felt would work for a variety of vegetables so it could be used year round with whatever was in season. They turned out even better than I thought they would - I hope Lynda agrees.


Sweet and Sassy Roasted Veggies
Makes 4 servings

What I use:

• 1 lb. carrots
• 1 lb. parsnips
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

How I do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Scrub and peel the carrots and parsnips.

3. Cut the veggies into bite size chunks and place them in a bowl; throw away the tops and bottoms.

4. In a small bottle or jar, place the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and brown sugar. Shake well until completely combined.

5. Pour the mixture over the carrots and parsnips, reserving 1 tablespoon for later.

6. Toss to coat, then spread the veggies out on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

7. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how crisp or tender you like your veggies. I leaned towards the 45-minute mark for these.

8. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with the last tablespoon of oil mixture.

Feel free to swap in your favorite veggies. This would be awesome on broccoli (15 to 25 minutes) or sweet potatoes (30 to 45 minutes).

The family says:

• K kept insisting they were cut-up hot dogs until I made him try one. I thought for sure he was going to spit it out. Surprisingly, he didn't and he ate a big helping with dinner. To see how far I could get with this, I put some in his lunch the next day. When he was emptying his lunchbox after school, he was telling me all about how amazing it was and could he have some more please? Score!!
• Andrew said it was pretty good considering he doesn't really care for balsamic vinegar.
• They had such a unique flavor that I kept going back for more - some bites were sweeter and some were more bold and it was like Forrest Gump says - "You never know what you're gonna get..."

What is your favorite roasted vegetable recipe?