this time of year, i find myself always scrambling for two types of recipes. baked goods i can gift and side dishes that feed oodles of people. we are in the heat of pot lucks and cookie exchanges and i am here for YOU! 

through out this holiday catering season, this roasted veggie dish has become our go to. it has a little bit of everything to satisfy all your guests tastes, it looks BEAUTIFUL and as far as veggie side dishes, this in the upper echelon. you could of course tweak this dish to your or your guest's tastes. there are PLENTY of winter veggies to choose from. the key to this side dish's tastiness is derived from a little bit of brown sugar and a healthy dose of salt and pepper.   

citrus roasted winter veggies
serves: 6
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: *cooks note* all the veggies in this recipe get chopped. for the most even cooking, try to get your pieces of each vegetable about the same size. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 brown onion, chopped. 1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and chopped. 3 heirloom carrots (standard orange are fine), chopped. 1 golden and 1 red beat, chopped. 3 medium sized potatoes, chopped. 2 cups of brussels sprouts, stems removed and quartered or halved depending on their size. 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped. 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped. 1 blood orange, sliced thin. 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 

start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees f. in a large bowl, toss together all your veggies. add in the fresh herbs, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic to the bowl.  

drizzle everything with the olive oil and toss well to combine. 

spread the veggies out on a baking sheet. top the veggies with your blood orange slices.

roast for 40-45 minutes until the beets and potatoes are starting to blacken on the edges. make sure to stir all the veggies halfway through so everything cooks evenly. serve hot. 

xo, a

citrus roasted winter veggies
serves: 6
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: *cooks note* all the veggies in this recipe get chopped. for the most even cooking, try to get your pieces of each vegetable about the same size. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 brown onion, chopped. 1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and chopped. 3 heirloom carrots (standard orange are fine), chopped. 1 golden and 1 red beat, chopped. 3 medium sized potatoes, chopped. 2 cups of brussels sprouts, stems removed and quartered or halved depending on their size. 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped. 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped. 1 blood orange, sliced thin. 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper.
start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees f. in a large bowl, toss together all your veggies. add in the fresh herbs, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic to the bowl. drizzle everything with the olive oil and toss well to combine. spread the veggies out on a baking sheet. top the veggies with your blood orange slices. roast for 40-45 minutes until the beets and potatoes are starting to blacken on the edges. make sure to stir all the veggies halfway through so everything cooks evenly. serve hot. 

wes has been working at the VERY high end nobu restaurant that recently opened by our house for about five months now. and while their food is absolutely delicious, it is WAY too pricey for either of us to be eating there on the reg. so we have taken to recreating their signature dishes at home. 

since the restaurant is the new hotspot in town, many people have been asking me before they go if i think it is "worth" the somewhat hefty price tag. and the answer is YES. and here is one of my main reasons why. they do even the SIMPLEST things BETTER than anyone else. the dishes i've had there have been heads above other versions of the same japanese dishes i've had at many other places. and my favorite of all? the currently menu trendy shishito peppers. i feel like everywhere i eat these days has shishitos on the menu and the nobu version just crushes all the others. 

so these nobu style shishito peppers have become a reoccurring dish in our house. now nothing is quite as good as the real thing (because food always taste better when someone else made it for you) but they are pretty damn close. 

nobu style shishito peppers
serves: 4
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 8 minutes
total time: 10 minutes
ingredients: 8 oz shishito peppers, washed and dried. 2 tbs sweet miso paste (recommend white miso). 1 tsp lemon juice + lemon wedges for serving. couple pinches kosher salt. 1 tsp sesame seeds. grill trey or large heavy pan. 

start by blistering your shishito peppers. with either a grill trey over the open flame on your stove, or in a hot, large pan, cook the shishitos over high heat till the outsides blister. flipping once or twice. about 5-7 minutes. remove the shishitos from the heat when they have blistered. 

while they are cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the miso paste with the lemon juice. use a little more juice from a wedge if need be to make the miso paste more like a sauce. 

when the shishitos are blistered, toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice and miso. 

season with the kosher salt. top with sesame seeds and lemon garnish and serve. 

xo, a 

nobu style shishito peppers
serves: 4
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 8 minutes
total time: 10 minutes
ingredients: 8 oz shishito peppers, washed and dried. 2 tbs sweet miso paste (recommend white miso). 1 tsp lemon juice + lemon wedges for serving. couple pinches kosher salt. 1 tsp sesame seeds. grill trey or large heavy pan.
start by blistering your shishito peppers. with either a grill trey over the open flame on your stove, or in a hot, large pan, cook the shishitos over high heat till the outsides blister. flipping once or twice. about 5-7 minutes. remove the shishitos from the heat when they have blistered. while they are cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the miso paste with the lemon juice. use a little more juice from a wedge if need be to make the miso paste more like a sauce. when the shishitos are blistered, toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice and miso. season with the kosher salt. top with sesame seeds and lemon garnish and serve.