Dear Avocado

I learned this trick about roasting vegetables awhile ago from my friend Joel. It’s how he got me to eat Brussels sprouts for the first time…ever? And I actually liked them. It’s also shamefully simple and pretty quick. I took a variation on his root vegetable theme and added my own twist.  Here’s the recipe:

Prepare rice according to package directions. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add chicken, and brown on each side until it has a golden crisp on the outside. Turn the oven to a Low Broil, and place chicken in a shallow pan on the lower shelf in the oven. Cook until chicken gets very crispy, and is thoroughly cooked, flipping halfway through…about 10-15 minutes. While chicken is cooking, prepare and chop your vegetables into similarly sized pieces (mine were all about 1″). Add the veggies to a large mixing bowl, and coat with a hefty amount of olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon thyme, and chopped parsley. Toss to combine, and spread evenly on a baking sheet so that no vegetables are piled on top of each other, to ensure an even cooking time. Place vegetables in the oven while chicken is broiling, and then turn the oven down to 450 degrees. Remove chicken and continue to cook for about 8 minutes, or until veggies are crisp-tender and beginning to get golden brown edges. This cooking process makes almost any vegetable taste buttery and delicious. I’m a huge fan of the roasting technique!