Simple Side Dish

Hi - I am back. At least a little bit back. Working out is going great; although I am absurdly sore. I am hoping that will wear off soon enough. My schedule is still pretty hectic, but I am attempting to incorporate more cooking into it. Besides- there is nothing more fun than cooking while watching basketball. I am pretty obsessed with the NCAA Basketball Tournament. It is absolutely the best time of the year - March Madness and the beginning of Major League Baseball! In case you haven't picked up on it... I am a bit of a sports nut. Sports do have a tendency to make me anxious, which is one of the reasons why I really enjoy cooking when watching or listening to sports. It occupies a part of my brain that enables me to relax a little and blow off some of my anxiety. For this reason, and others, sports and food automatically go together in my house.

So what do you expect a person glued to a basketball tournament to eat? Maybe tortilla chips and a variety of delicious dips? Buffalo wings? Assorted cheeses and crackers? Not this sports nut. I prefer Broccoli. Roasted. With Balsamic Glaze. Mmmmm. The perfect snacking food (or side dish for a fancy meal). Roasting vegetables has to be my most favorite preparation. The edges crisp up and caramelize, and the vibrant colors of the vegetables are preserved. I first discovered vegetable roasting with broccoli, but asparagus, cauliflower, zucchini, peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc. often make their way into my hot oven. So simple and delicious that you don't even need a recipe.

Take a bunch of clean vegetables and toss them on a roasting pan (I use a jelly roll style pan) in a single layer. Toss with extra virgin olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Slide into a hot, pre-heated 450 degree oven. Ignore for about 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of the vegetables). Pull out pan, shake the vegetables around; pop back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Once the edges of the veggies are starting to get golden brown and crispy, douse with 1-2 T of Balsamic vinegar (hold your head back so you don't get a face-full of vinegar steam). Shake the pan again to coat the veggies and serve. So delicious.