Roasted Carrots and Zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 425 F

2. Cut your veg into 8-cm/3-inch sticks, making sure they are even in thickness.

3. Line a baking tray with baking paper and a light layer of olive oil.

4. SEASON – go with the usual salt & pepper and branch out to one or two of the following (Choose Your Own Adventure-style): paprika, cumin, cayenne, crushed red peppers, thyme, rosemary, sage – really, whatever takes your fancy and suits your meal. Using premixed spice blends is a great option too – Italian, Mexican, Old Bay – you know, just not all at once.

Lightly toss your vegetable batons with a tablespoon or so of olive oil (not too much) and the herbs and spices.

5. Spread your seasoned veg over your lined tray and roast, tossing halfway through, for about 20 minutes or until golden and slightly browned at the edges.

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans
10-12 slices of thick-cut bacon  *I used regular bacon
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced  *I only used one
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Wash and thoroughly dry green beans, then season with salt and pepper. Bundle together about 5-8 green beans – this will depend on your size of beans and the amount of beans you get for one pound. Bundle together as many as you’d like! Using a slice of bacon, wrap it around the center of the beans to hold it together. Lay the bundle bacon seam side down in the baking dish to hold it together. Repeat with remaining beans.

Heat a small saucepan over low heat. Add butter, brown sugar and garlic and whisk until melted and combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the mixture over top of each green bean bundle. Cover the bundles with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 (it took more like 25 minutes for me to get the bacon somewhat crisp, and I still ended up putting it under the broiler for a minute) minutes more, just until bacon gets crispy.

Cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

These were good! I am enjoying all these new roasted veggie recipes. Next time I'll have it with my Chicken Roll Ups Recipe.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Ack, I can't find the folder this picture is in.
These potatoes took forever, I'm not sure they were worth the trouble

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb hickory smoked, thick sliced bacon
 3 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes
 2 cloves garlic, minced
 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
 coarse salt
 fresh ground pepper
 fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Scrub potatoes and place in a large pot.  Fill pot with water until potatoes are covered by 2-3 inches of water.  Bring water to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  My potatoes were fairly large, so this took close to 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, partially freeze bacon for easier cutter.  (Ten minutes in the freezer works well.) Slice bacon strips in half, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces.  I like to cut my bacon prior to cooking.  It’s easier to work with in the skillet and easy to drain with slotted spoon.

3. Preheat oven to 425. Mince garlic & parsley. Brush olive oil and bacon drippings on pan. Place potatoes on pan. Sprinkle with s&p. Bake 20 minutes and flip. Bake 20 minutes. reduce to 375, turn potatoes and sprinkle with bacon, garlic, and parmesan.

Crispy French Onion Chicken

This was a great recipe! It's just so easy, I don't know why I don't make these coated chicken recipes more often.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 Tbsp. honey mustard
1 c. crushed French's Fried Onions


1. Coat the chicken with honey mustard.
2. Roll in the crushed onions.
3. Place on a foil lined baking sheet.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It turned out to be a good one!

12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
2 t olive oil
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 t garlic powder
1 1/2 T shredded parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Lay green beans on the sheet and drizzle oil over them.
3. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and toss to coat.
4. Roast 10 minutes. Toss and bake another 5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with salt and cheese.

In my opinion: Lately I've been trying to incorporate more veggies into our meals. I have tried several new recipes and this one is a favorite. To find some roasted chicken or potatoes recipes to serve these with, click here.

Roasted Spicy Mayonnaise Chicken by The Deen Brothers

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 lemons, zest finely grated

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon salt, plus additional for seasoning

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional for seasoning

Pinch cayenne pepper

4 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon zest, paprika, celery seeds, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Season the chicken with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Slather the mayonnaise mixture over the chicken. Bake until the juices run clear when the chicken is pricked with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve hot.

This was so good! We had it with Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Veggies.