NORA GARZA: Add roasted seasonal vegetables to your winter menu

Better Living for Texans is a program for adults and children who want to learn how to eat well and save money.

Participants learn how to choose foods that are inexpensive and delicious; how to make their food budget last through the month; how to make foods with less fat and sugar; and how to make nutritious snacks for children.

For more information about the Better Living for Texans program, call the Hidalgo County Extension office at (956) 383-1026.

In the meantime, try oven-roasted vegetables. Oven roasting condenses flavors and caramelizes the sugars in the vegetables. When made with seasonal vegetables, you’ll save money on your grocery bill.

Be sure to add handfuls of broccoli and cauliflower. These cruciferous vegetables can be grown year-round in temperate climates, but taste best (sweeter and less bitter) when harvested in the cooler temperatures.

Oven-roasted vegetables:

>> 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
>> 1 tablespoon lemon juice
>> 1/2 teaspoon dry rosemary
>> 1/4 teaspoon pepper
>> 1/4 teaspoon low sodium herb seasoning
>> 6 cups fresh vegetables, chopped (sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, green beans, zucchini or cauliflowers)

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Mix oil, lemon juice, rosemary, black pepper, and herb seasoning in small bowl. Set aside.

Wash and chop vegetables. Mix chopped vegetables with herb mixture to coat vegetables. Place vegetables on a 13-inch-by-9-inch, ovenproof pan.

Bake for 10 minutes and stir vegetables. Cook for another 20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

--

Nora N. Garza is a County Extension Agent with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Hidalgo County, a part of the Texas A&M System. She can be reached at n-garza@tamu.edu.