Grilled Chicken

Make a brine of 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 quart of water.  Cut chicken breasts horizontally to make them about 1/2 inch thick, freeze the leftovers for another meal.  Soak chicken for 1 hour.  Rinse.  Preheat grill pan, and coat with 1 T olive oil. (panini pan, cast iron skillet, non-stick skillet, even a waffle iron will work in a pinch) season chicken to taste with herbs of your choice (garlic, rosemary, sage, or Italian seasoning are options) and grill chicken breasts until no longer pink. (about 4 minutes per side).  If desired, these can be made into chicken sandwiches. 

Roasted Vegetables

Adapted from http://cookingventures.blogspot.com/2009/10/roasted-vegetables.html
Longer-Cooking Veggies

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 to 3 medium potatoes (preferable Yukon Gold or Red Bliss), peeled and cut into 3/4" chunks
1 cup or so of baby carrots (cut in half or leave whole)
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp sugar (optional but nice)
1 TBSP dried, chopped rosemary
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Liberal amount of salt and pepper to taste
Quicker-Cooking Veggies 
1 bunch of asparagus, fibrous ends removed and remaining pieces cut into thirds
1 large onion, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1" chunks
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Crusty Bread or Bread Bowls

Place oven racks in the top third and bottom third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 425F. Coat the inside of two rimmed sheet pans with some olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the longer-cooking veggies and toss to combine. Split the veggies between the two sheet pans. Bake 20 minutes, switching the sheet pans between the top and bottom racks halfway through the cooking time.

Right before the 20 minutes is up, combine the quicker-cooking ingredients. After the longer-cooking veggies have been in the oven for 20 minutes, take the sheet pans out of the oven and stir the veggies – using a spatula as needed to scrape up any that may have stuck to the pans. Add half of the quicker-cooking veggies to each sheet pan, toss again, and return to the oven for another 18 to 23 minutes (switching the pans halfway through) or until the veggies are as soft as you like. During baking, if the veggies look a little dry, add additional olive oil as needed.

Before serving, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. If desired, toss with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve in bread bowls or with crusty bread.

*Variation

Peel and cut white and sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes.  If making ahead, put cubes in a bowl full of cold water, so they won't brown.  Dry with a towel, and toss with 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  Bake at 425 for 40-45 minutes, turning half way through cooking time.  Add other veggies and seasonings as suggested in the online recipe.