Brown Sugar Roasted Vegetables is sure to spark interest amongst Vegans

I'm always trying to come up with new ideas using traditional dishes as a base and I am happy to report that I have done just that with Brown Sugar Roasted Vegetables. You won't believe the incredible flavors that blast out of this dish. You already know how wonderful roasted vegetables are. Now tick it up a notch and add a shot of Brandy, some brown sugar, butter, and wow, that's all I can say. I had my doubts with brown sugar and the Brandy. I was afraid it was going to be sweet as dessert. But that's not what happened. These two ingredients actually enhanced the true flavors of each vegetable used. Vegans, take note. You have to try this dish, you will NOT be disappointed. And for all you others out there, do what I did and pair it up with a nice pan fried breast of chicken. I've got leftoevers and it's going into my lunchbag for Friday.

This is simple to prepare and the predominant vegetable here is the carrot. Check out these other ingredients that will serve 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main dish:

8 medium carrots sliced diagonally in 2 inch lengths, peel left on
2 medium parsnips, sliced diagonally in 1 inch lengths, peel left on
12 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
6 large boiler onions (about 2 inch diameter), peeled, left whole
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt (or less)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/4 cup of Brandy

I like leaving the peel on when appropriate because there are so many nutrients in the peelings of vegetables. OK, that being said, prepare your vegetables as mentioned above. Preheat your oven to 400.

In a large fry pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Once heated, simply toss all your vegetables into the pan and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring a few times during the course. You're doing this so that you can lightly brown them and releasing the flavors.

Now, add your salt and pepper and carefully pour the Brandy into the pan. Stir and then add the butter. Once butter has melted, lower your heat to medium low and sprinkle the brown sugar over the vegetables. Stir well so sugar and butter coat all pieces.

The final step is to transfer the pan to the oven and roast at 400 for about 40 to 45 minutes, stirring once at the 30 minute mark. You will notice the vegetables will caramelize with the butter and brown sugar. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes before serving. If you want, you may sprinkle a little nutmeg over. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and enjoy. I kid you not, you will love these. This side dish would be perfect for special holidays with turkey, roast chicken, pork loin, just about any meat.