I forgot one my favorites -- roast beets. Buy beets, shave the outsides with a carrot peeler, then slice approx 6-7mm thick. Roast on cookie tray with olive o

I forgot one my favorites -- roast beets. Buy beets, shave the outsides with a carrot peeler, then slice approx 6-7mm thick. Roast on cookie tray with olive oil, salt, pepper. They get soft and sweet. The 3rd picture down shows about the right thickness. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-roast-beets-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-172827 http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-roast-beets-in-the-oven-cook... Again, 3 minutes of prep time for 2 or 3 roast beets. Both red and yellow beets are amazing. Just don't freak out the next morning when you pee. And now that I think of it, these recipes work great for asparagus. It's a little trickier though: if overcooked, it gets mushy. The one expensive thing you should buy is a good heavy knife. Buy good olive oil too; California Olive Ranch olive oil is widely available in CA and reasonably priced http://lifehacker.com/the-most-and-least-fake-extra-virgin-olive-oil-brands-1460894373 http://lifehacker.com/the-most-and-least-fake-extra-virgin-o... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/dining/californias-olive-oils-challenge-europes.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/dining/californias-olive-o... While I'm raving about roast vegetables in general, roast fennel is one of the best things you've probably never eaten. Really, give it a try. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_fennel/ http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_fennel/ Roasting veggies in general: http://www.marthastewart.com/270268/how-to-with-allie-roasting-vegetables http://www.marthastewart.com/270268/how-to-with-allie-roasti...