What comes to your mind when I say the words Comfort Food? Is it something that makes you feel grounded and happy to be alive? This roasted vegetables & raunchy hummus recipe is comfort food at its best, my version of it, boasting with layers of intensely rich flavor. The same, simple method works with all of your favorite vegetables, and the best part is that all you’ll need to add is a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, spices, and some herbs to lift it off the ground. A little patience, a few tosses, and the oven will take care of the rest.

Ingredients

Vegetables

small potatoes
carrots
parsnips
brussels sprouts
garlic
fennel
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
garlic
salt
pepper

Hummus

chickpeas
garlic
tahini
lime
salt
pepper
chili powder
olive oil

There are many different ways to cook vegetables, and one of my favorites is oven roasting. It is simple, and the heat will surely lure the intensified flavors out, as the natural sugars of the root vegetables caramelize in the heat and highlight the satisfying, earthy and very sophisticated flavor profile.

Chop chop chop

Chopping is the step that calls for the most effort in this recipe. I love roasting veggies because I find chopping and prepping to be relaxing and soothing. It is also time to use creativity. Changing it up is the key, use your imagination when cutting the ingredients to various shapes and keep in mind when prepping, that different veggies, especially some root vegetables take longer to cook than others.

How to make vegetables extra tasty?

Does it feel sometimes daunting to cook vegetables? If you are not used to roasting veggies, rest assured, it is one of the easiest ways to cook almost anything. Roasting is fantastic because of the way heat caramelizes the natural sugars and intensifies the flavors. Something to keep in mind is to be mindful with the amount of oil: just a little goes a long way. Soggy and wet veggies will not turn out crispy. And crispy is what we want!

Play with heat

When cooking vegetables in the oven, time and temperature are essential factors. High-quality olive oil and a good rub of salt are all you need to add, and the heat of the oven will take care of the rest.

The roasting time depends on what kind of oven you’re using and how much you’re prepping at once. Patience is the method here, and you’ll see why. Leave some room on the baking tray between the chopped veggies so that the heat can lick them and turn it into a wondrous meal.

Keep tossing the gently oiled vegetables, and the more you do this, the more flavor and crunch you’ll create. The effort is proportional to the result in this case. Trust me with this and don’t be hasty a slight charring is always a good thing. And remember, devotion and patience will deliver the best outcome, in life and the kitchen.

The Recipe

This one is easy: heat the oven to 250 degrees Celcius, wash, peel and chop the vegetables. Place them on a parchment paper covered baking trays (feel free to skip the parchment paper in case your dishes can handle it) and drizzle with a little olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Add spices and rub it everywhere with your hands. Roast until the scent sails out of the oven and veggies have turned pretty and sticky and soft.

For the hummus, you need to combine the chickpeas, aqua faba, garlic, tahini, lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor or a blender. Blend until it is the smoothness of your liking.

One more tip that I want to share with you is always to make a large patch, and if you get lucky, you’ll have tasty leftovers to work with the next day or meal. Slip the veggies into a blender with some vegetable broth and fresh herbs, and you’ll have smooth and classy soup for lunch. Another way to reuse roasted veggie leftovers is in a garden vegetable lasagna. Save a spot for the hummus to add a creamy layer, sprinkle your favorite nuts and pumpkin seeds on top and you are good to go.