Try This Hack For Perfect Baked Veggies Sans Foil, Oil, Or Messy Clean-Up

When I used to bake veggies I would do one of two things. 1. I'd pop them on a baking tray. 2. I'd pop them on a tray lined with aluminum foil. I would then douse the foil and the veggies in a massive amount of oil to get a satisfactory and tasty bake. Option one always left me with a blackened tray that I'd spend an exorbitant amount of time scrubbing. While option two resulted in a nice flavor, I was frustrated by the trash created from using aluminum foil and the large amount of oil I had to use. While I think some oil in one's diet is important, using too much oil is expensive and disadvantageous. Furthermore, there are a few reasons to consider reducing aluminum use. Although the aluminum industry is making strides to improve its environmental impact, aluminum production is the leading source of perfluorocarbon (PFCs) emissions in the United States and is a contributor to acid rain. Although aluminum can be recycled rather efficiently, aluminum with caked on grease and food scraps may not be recycled by your local facility. The hack? Parchment Paper! I cannot express how wonderful parchment paper is as an alternative to aluminum foil. It's compostable AND enables you to bake with no oil at all. To bake with no oil: Simply wash and dry your veggies, line a baking tray with parchment paper, and bake in the oven. To bake with oil: The best part of baking on parchment paper is that your food doesn't burn like it would on aluminum foil. It absorbs the oil easily without being greasy. To do so, wash and dry your veggies, gently drizzle with oil, and bake in the oven. Here's a quick recipe demonstrating how I use parchment paper to bake my veggies. You can sub in your favorite veggies and adjust cooking time as needed.