Roasted Zucchini, Green Beans and Mushrooms

I had a vegetable bin overflowing with zucchini, green beans and mushrooms. I decided to roast them in the oven with a little olive oil and dried thyme tossed in for good measure. I ended up with a savory side dish to serve with grilled chicken.

Roasted Zucchini, Green Beans and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 large zucchini, sliced
1-16 oz. box fresh green beans, ends snapped
1-8 oz. box whole mushrooms, cleaned
3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
Parmesan cheese, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme in a large bowl, stir and add veggies. Toss to mix well. Using a large cookie sheet with sides, cover with aluminum foil or nonstick cooking spray and spread vegetable mixture over the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir the vegetables and cook for another 15 minutes, until veggies are tender and nicely browned. Sprinkle top of each serving with a little grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Ridiculously easy roasted asparagus ...

Asparagus was on sale for $1.88 a pound this week, so I bought two big bunches. My favorite way to make it is roasted in a hot oven, with a drizzle of good olive oil.
TARRAGON ROASTED ASPARAGUS
INGREDIENTS:
Fresh Asparagus, woody ends removed
Olive Oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
Dried tarragon
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash fresh asparagus and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the woody ends, either with a knife or break at the "snap." Lay asparagus spears flat in an oven-proof dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on sea salt, pepper and tarragon. Bake, uncovered, for about 5-8 minutes. I like to use the thinnest spears I can find. This should be crisp tender. You don't want it to be mushy.

Oven-roasted veggies ...

Roasted vegetables, with heart-healthy olive oil, make an ideal accompaniment to low fat chicken. Tom grilled the chicken and I roasted two big pans of vegetables. This simple cooking method helps preserve the natural nutrients of the veggies. It also gives them an attractive color that's not unlike the beautiful appearance of traditional grilled vegetables. The veggies were fantastic!
Roasted Vegetables
INGREDIENTS:
3 zucchini, sliced
1 small bag peeled baby carrots
2 red onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut up
1 green pepper, cut up
1 orange bell pepper, cut up
Fresh mushrooms
12 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl mix the zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers and mushrooms with the oil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
3. Roast the vegetables, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the edges of some of the vegetables are starting to crisp. Remove from the oven and stir before returning to the oven for another 20 minutes. At this time reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, turning every 20 minutes. I added the mushrooms last. The carrots take the longest.
Optional: Sprinkle a little grated Parmesan on the roasted veggies!