Roasting vegetables and fruits brings out the best flavors in them without requiring much seasoning because the natural flavors come out during the roasting.
Roasted or baked sweet potatoes are sweet and flavorful enough that they can be eaten as is. We had baked sweet potatoes growing up. There was a time that was what we had for lunch! And nobody starved or suffered from malnutrition.
We enjoyed those fresh garden vegetables, fruits and berries from the area. If anything arrived by truck back then, it was from a few miles out from nearby farms. I remember seeing people bartering with vegetables for meat or poultry or eggs.
The last trip I took along US 49 in Arkansas heading West to Brinkley, there was a little shed with fruits and vegetables for sale. Every trip I’ve taken down that highway, there was always that little shed! Oh, and we always stopped even though we were days away from home! Most of the time, we ate the fruit we bought within a day.
Most cities have large farmers markets, but those aren’t the same as those individual “stands”. Sometimes you actually knew the family or even if you didn’t, you remembered them from year to year and knew their life stories. Although the large farmers markets have some really good food, it’s the ‘knowing the providers/growers’ that make it more interesting.
If you have never roasted or baked vegetables or fruits, it’s time to try it. That roasted or baked food will make you go …. um yum good!
It’s about time to heat up some of the last batch of soup, just writing about it makes my mouth water!
From September
From August
September - soup with roasted vegetables
This one included roasted potatoes, carrots, winter squash, peppers, green beans and corn. It also has ‘fresh’ carrot juice instead of tomato juice. I do not recommend canned or non-refrigerated bottled carrot juice! Basically if it does not taste like fresh squeezed, it will not have a good effect on this soup.
The finished soup - it comes out like stew, with potatoes doing some major thickening! Delicious for sure!
soup with roasted potatoes and carrots served this one is very thick
Soup - roasted vegetables with black and kidney beans added
Pasta Sauce
Roasted Vegetables served
Preparing soup with a few roasted vegetables
I needed to add other ingredients here, because there was only about 2 cups of roasted vegetables left.
over-ripe tomatoes, frozen mixed vegetables, roasted carrots, roasted corn, roasted potatoes and roasted squash. Cooked sliced okra will be added last
Adding a small amount of quinoa, which will thicken the soup, prior to adding the fresh tomatoes
Finished it off with fresh carrot juice
Preparing the okra separate
Added the okra - would be ready to serve in about half an hour
The finished soup - Delicious for sure!
Leftovers
Prepping the Vegetables
I cover the pans with foil and rub oil over to prevent sticking. The oil is absorbed into the vegetables. Makes for an easy clean-up. These can also be roasted in a large covered grill.
Cut the summer squash in cubes
Winter squash
Winter squash carrots and corn
peppers in slices and strips
End pieces of the peppers can be diced for salads or adding to omelets
eggplant and summer squash
Potatoes
Get to it! Roast those veggies and fruits!
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It all sounds SO delicious! Loving all the Corningware too! :-)
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