Roasted Root Vegetables

Tonight we had dinner with Baci and I made roasted root vegetables.  Baci stated that she doesn't like beets, but she'd try them.  Despite her hesitation, she actually liked the sweetness and thought I added sugar or honey, but I didn't.  Just a few simple ingredients, which are listed below, make a healthy and pretty side dish. You could use other root vegetables and spices, but my Dad and I have been zen cooking here and we used what we had in the fridge and pantry.

Roasted Root Vegetable Ingredients:
cooking spray
8 carrots
1 onion
3 large beets
2 stalks of celery
4 cloves of garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
thyme (dry or fresh - we used dry)

Chop the carrots, onion, celery, beets, and garlic into bite-size pieces.  Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray and add the veggies.  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and thyme.  Again, we are zen cooking so we didn't measure the spices, but I'd say we used about a teaspoon of dried thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for at least 45 minutes at 425°F or until fork-tender, making sure to stir/flip halfway through.  My Dad shut the oven off after 45 minutes and left the veggies in the oven for another 15-20 minutes (until the rest of the meal was ready). 

Since Baci was willing to try the roasted beets, I had to try her blueberry pie for dessert.  It's only fair! :)