squash and eggplant and beets, oh my!

as the leaves turn from green to gold to amber and the nights become crisper and longer, i long for food that is hearty and comforting

we all have our favourites. i have several dozen myself, given a variety of moods, but nothing warms me down to my toes like a bowl of roasted veg, hot from the oven: crisp and caramelized, giving way to a soft, steaming centre and topped with sweet, creamy goat cheese.

really.

can you smell it? the heady, heart-warming aroma of hearty root vegetables mixed with the sophisticated scents of fragrant herbs?  the beauty of this meal is, not only is it comforting and delicious, it's easy.

you will need:

• fresh vegetables
• extra virgin olive oil
• herbes de provence
• goat cheese (try one with honey, which adds a rich, but subtle, sweetness)

a little side-note about the ingredients:

{olive oil}: i may have thought i understood the importance of 'really good olive oil' (must be said out loud in your most pompous english accent - go on, try it), but after a trip to rome, i can truly say that now i do.  the taste is incomparable.  spend the extra pennies and get the good stuff; you won't regret it.

{herbes de provence}: typically a mix of dried savory, sage, marjoram, fennel and lavender from the provencial region of france.  utterly delicious.

gather your goods:

you can use almost any vegetables; for this week's meal, i used butternut squash, yams, beets, carrots, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, onion and garlic.

i have also used pumpkin and, of course potatoes (which i thought i had, oops).  if you have never tried roasted pumpkin you haven't lived; it's the perfect side for any meal. 

cut your assorted veg into cubes.  your root vegetables will take longer to cook than  your peppers and tomatoes, so size your pieces accordingly.  

place your cut-up veggies into a big bowl and sprinkle generously with herbes de provence and extra virgin olive oil,  gently folding the veg so that every piece is coated and glossy, but not bruised in the process.

cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and turn out your combined ingredients in an even layer.

place in the oven at 425 oven for 25 minutes, then give the veggies a toss in the pan and turn the heat down to 350 for another 30 min.

arrange the roasty, toasty, caramelized and perfect veg on a plate and top with goat cheese (doesn't this just look like fall?).  

try this dish as meal, snack or a side for any occasion.  let me know how it turns out!

enjoy!