Roasted vegetables with feta
by Charlotte Watts
Serves as much as you make! – keep extra for salads next day
This can be a heart side serving, a whole dish, a handy snack to eat cold or the answer to packed lunch worries. This will really help you to enjoy eating vegetables and can be prepared to suit your tastes and vary your food intake. Whilst cooking vegetables in oil is not as healthy as steaming, the oil will help you to absorb the fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamins E and A and the carotenoids. The spices and herbs you add can help add some antioxidant activity to protect the oils from damage – this is particular true of rosemary.
Ingredients:
Choose a good variety of vegetables that suit roasting and hold their shape and water content when cooking. Good examples are:
| Peppers – all colours for a variety of carotenoids and a multicoloured look | Whole garlic cloves – leave in skins to hold their shape |
| Onion – red are best | Aubergine |
| Fennel | Shallots |
| Carrots | Beetroot |
| Sweet potatoes | Courgettes |
| Leeks | …and anything else you can think of |
The following you can add to your taste in varying amounts:
| Good quality olive oil or coconut oil (heat this first to liquefy) |
| Juice ½ lemon with herbs or depending on taste/ how much you are making |
| Feta cheese (or similar goat’s or ewe’s cheese) – amount to taste |
| Sunflower and pumpkin seeds |
Different combinations of fresh herbs and spices, for example:
| Rosemary or tarragon |
| Cumin and turmeric |
| Fennel and/or cumin seeds |
| Chinese Five Spice |
| Coriander (dried spice, not leaf) |
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/ Gas Mark 6.
- Chop the vegetables into cubes or pieces about an inch thick – if too small then they will pick up too much oil.
- Put the vegetables into a mixing bowl and add enough olive oil to just coat them. If cooking with coconut oil you will need to heat this in the roasting tray first on the hob or in the oven and then add the vegetables and mix round to coat with oil.
- Add lemon juice to taste (may not be appropriate for spicier mixes) and a choice of herbs and/or ground spices – mix in well.
- If using olive oil pour the vegetables into deep baking trays or roasting dishes. With either oil, then put the tray into the oven for 30 minutes – you can turn the vegetables occasionally to ensure even cooking.
- Whilst the vegetables are cooking chop the feta cheese into ½” cubes.
- Take out the roasting vegetables, and lay the feta cheese cubes (as much as you like) on top of the vegetables to lightly cover them – put back into the oven for another ten minutes.
- Serve with fish or organic chicken breast or in great quantities as a main dish – add pumpkin and sunflower seeds to taste.