Savoury
A good roasted vegetable dish works beautifully as a main course with a lentil side, or as a side to a protein main. For me, the best roasted veggies are those that are sublimely soft on the inside, but crispy and charred on the outside – which is why I prefer the gas stove over the oven. But sometimes, the oven is just easier – thrown all together and tossed in delicious flavours. The key to get the nice crispness is to ensure enough space between all the veggies – this gives them space for their water to release, and burn away around – if the veggies are too close together, then the water released goes into each other giving you soggy veggies instead of crispy. This means, your baking dish will be approx. twice the size one would normally use, that way there is about 1 cm minimum space around each piece of vegetable.
For this recipe, I paired it with a cream sauce that’s vegan – made from cashews. This is the simplest and easiest vegan sauce I have ever made with bare minimum effort. Flavoured with some garlic, dried mint and lemon juice it takes all of 45 minutes and can be done in synchronicity to the veggies baking.
The Recipe
Serves
Ingredients
- Vegetables:
- 1 cup potatoes, pakchoy, carrots, onions, capsicum – all cut into equal sizes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Cashew Cream:
- ¼ cup cashews (unsalted)
- ¼ cup hot water + extra
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried mint
- squeeze of lemon
Instructions
- Vegetables:
- Toss the vegetables with all the marinade ingredients in a semi-deep bake tray or dish
- Ensure there is enough space around each piece of veggie to roast properly
- Roast in a preheated oven of 220C for 40 minutes, opening to toss around a few times
- Cashew Cream:
- Soak the cashews in water for 30 minutes
- Then transfer to a blender, add a garlic clove and salt and blend to a sauce, adding some more water to achieve your desired consistency of sauce
- Once ready, transfer to serving bowl or jar, add lemon and dried mint and combine
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve – this can be served cold, at room temperature or warmed up for a warm drizzle of sauce.
