I was wondering how I would dress up the Five Spice Roast Chicken for the Christmas dinner. How about a spread of colorful roasted vegetable? The fun part of cooking this dish is to pick out the different vegetables that will make up the color wheel. I love the end result and it easily checks off another item on the menu; it is a wonderful side to complement the roast chicken. Next time, I will try a different assortment of vegetables, perhaps broccoli, cauliflower, yellow and orange bell pepper, yam, purple potatoes, tomatoes, …

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 large red onion, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 egg plant, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 red bell pepper, stem removed and seeded, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 3 inch pieces
• 1 bunch of french beans, cut into 3 inch pieces
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 6 large crimini mushrooms, halved
• 2 carrots, cut into 1″ chunks

Marinade:

• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp any other seasoning mix, optional (Mrs. Dash, Montreal Steak Seasoning, ..)
• 1 tbsp minced herbs (I used thyme, rosemary, sage)
• juice of one lime

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F in convection roast mode.
2. Whisk marinade in a small bowl.
3. Pour marinade over vegetables in a large mixing bowl; toss to make sure the vegetables is well coated with the marinade.
4. Spread the vegetables out on a baking tray, leaving spaces between the vegetable pieces, cook in multiple batches if needed.
5. Roast in oven for 10 min, shake the baking tray to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan.
6. Return to the oven and roast for another 10 min, checking in between. I like the vegetables to have a little crunch and not too mushy.
7. Sprinkle some more sea salt and ground pepper if desired. Yum!