With Wintry weather and the season for colds and flu, the below recipe is a simple way to help achieve ' 7 a day' for fruit and vegetables and boost intakes of the all important nutrients for our immune systems including Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Make a big batch and use leftovers the following day or to make a 'veggie' tasty soup!!! Please feel free to use whatever vegetables you like or are available/in season.Although as the saying goes "Variety is the spice of life"!!!

Ingredients: -3 Sweet potatoes -2 Carrots -1 Courgette -2 Red onions -4 Cloves of garlic -1 Green pepper-1 Yellow pepper-1 Red pepper -10 Cherry tomatoes -1 Chilli (or 2 depending on if you want it hot!)-4 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar -2 tablespoons dried Basil or other herbs of your liking -Black pepper to season.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200'c.

2. Prepare all vegetables by washing, peeling and chopping as appropriate. I diced, sliced and roughly chopped my vegetables into chunks as in the image.

3. Place the sliced sweet potatoes with x2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar onto a large and long baking tray. Bake in the oven for 20minutes at180'c (160'c fan oven) Gas mark 4.

4. Remove tray from oven. Turn the sliced sweet potatoes around on the tray and add the carrots, red onions, garlic, chilli, herbs, spices and the other x2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar. Ensure all the vegetables on the tray are coated in the herbs, spices and Balsamic vinegar
5.Place tray back in the oven for another 15minutes.

6. Remove tray from oven. Turn vegetables around to ensure even cooking. Add the remaining vegetables left (peppers and tomatoes). Place back in the oven for another 15minutes or until the vegetables are cooked how you like them!

(Tip: Some vegetables take longer to cook than others hence the different lengths of baking time for the different vegetables)

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Niamh Arthurs BSc, Msc Registered Dietitian