Roasted Vegetables

112 asparagus
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
12 cloves of garlic
1 zucchini, large
1 butternut squash
1 red onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons olive oil

Prepare the vegetables as follows: Clean all the bell peppers by cutting off the steam and cutting into quarter sections. Remove all the seeds using a knife and trimming away the inner white bitter membrane of the peppers. Dice into 1/4 inch pieces. Prepare the butternut squash by peeling the tough outer skin. You can use a vegetable peeler to make removing the skin easier. After the squash is peeled, cut in half and scrape out the seeds and membrane using a spoon. Cut the butternut squash into 1/4 cubes. The asparagus have a white tough end that must be removed. Hold the asparagus by each end and gently bend the vegetable. The tough white end will “snap” off where the tender part of the asparagus begins. It may vary from spear to spear. Cut the tender portion of the asparagus into 1 inch pieces. The tough ends can be frozen and boiled for future soup stocks. Dice the zucchini into 1/4 inch cubes and the sweet red onion into 1/2 inch pieces. Peel the garlic cloves by gently smashing each clove with the side of your knife so the thin papery garlic skin can easily be removed. Place all of the cut vegetables in to a large baking pan and season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss and coat all the pieces evenly. Bake in a 350º oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring the veggies after the first 15 minutes.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

1 can of V-8 juice, tomato juice, or vegetable broth
1/2 cup roasted veggies

Place the ingredients in a bowl and eat as a cold soup or heat in the microwave. This is really delicious!

Black Bean Wrap with Roasted Vegetables

1 teaspoon oil
1 jalapeno pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans
1 spinach tortilla
1/2 cup roasted veggies
1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato, chopped
1/2 cup mixed baby greens

Clean the jalapeno by cutting it in half and using a small knife to remove the seeds and cut away the white inner membrane. Dice into small pieces. Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the jalapeno pepper and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the black beans and heat thoroughly till all the flavors infuse. Heat the tortilla by placing it in a medium hot skillet till it starts to bubble. The tortilla needs to be warmed so it is pliable and easy to roll. Remove the tortilla and place on a plate. Place the roasted veggies in the middle of the tortilla and top with the black bean mixture, green onions, cilantro, tomato and baby greens. Tuck one end of the tortilla in and roll up.