Happy New Year and Welcome to 2016!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season this year. Mine was great – my holiday Bakeshop 2015 literally overflowed with cookies, I got to see my family on Christmas, flights and travel plans went smoothly, and it has been one of the most beautiful, snow-capped white Christmas’s ever. Aaaaand… (and I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy about this last one) we have a little deer family that like to bed down each night in the snow just outside our living room window. Is there anything cozier than that??
My goal for this year (albeit not exactly a resolution, as I’ve never really believed in New Year’s resolutions) is to make Laura’s Cozy Kitchen better and better for you. Meaning more recipes, more deliciousness, better pictures, and… maybe a video?? I don’t know, we’ll see about that last one. What are your New Year’s resolutions??
I also wanted to take this chance to give a big Thank You to everyone who has followed this little blog over the past year and helped it to grow. I really appreciate your comments and feedback and hope you keep ’em coming. Now… on to the food!
This roasted vegetable recipe has been patiently waiting in the wings for the overindulgent holiday season to be over (and for my self-indulgent, sugar-laden holiday Bakeshop 2015 to close). And what better day to feature a totally healthy recipe than New Year’s Day, when the world, en masse, suddenly regrets everything they ate over the holidays and begins the yearly desperate search for ways to get healthy and fit. Of course, in a hypocritical twist, I say this while I sit here sipping my morning coffee and indulging in some fresh home-baked cinnamon rolls, because that’s how I actually decided to start my new year (ha!). 
That being said, these roasted vegetables are so delicious that I could probably forgo my cinnamon rolls and find complete satisfaction in a bowl full of these lovely colorful veggies. The flavors are rich and complex: sweet and savory, earthy and fresh, topped off with a a touch of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs. This side dish is colorful and gorgeous, a nice change from the usual potatoes, and would go perfectly with a steak or roast pork. Now, if you are in the camp that believes that carbs are evil, this dish isn’t for you. However, rather than starch laden white potatoes, this dish is full of fiber and antioxidant rich sweet potatoes, squash, peppers and onions.
So start your year off right with a big bowl of these vegetables. Yum, yum! 
- 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 medium red onion, cut into small wedges
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp dried crushed rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, red peppers, squash, and sweet potato. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings. Pour over the vegetables and gently toss until vegetables are evenly coated.
- Spread the vegetables evenly in a single layer into the prepared pans. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Stir gently. Then sprinkle the red onion evenly over the vegetables. Continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are all fork tender, stirring occasionally.
I like to add my onion mid-way through baking (as I wrote in the directions above), because I like my onions to still have a touch of crunch. You can add the onions at the beginning of the baking, but they will be softer, and some of the smaller bits of onion may begin to char slightly towards the end of baking.
Recipe slightly adapted from Taste of Home.
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