Summertime Sides in the Winter

So about this time of the year I am craving some fresh veggie side dishes but hate the fact that most veggies in the store aren't the best flavor so here are two fresh and easy side dishes that bring a little summer to blah winter months. Both recipes take less than 5 minutes to prep, have fewer than 5 ingredients and go great with any protein, but pair especially well with a nice grilled beef tenderloin or steak. Broiled Grape Tomatoes You could use Roma tomatoes or any tomatoes you have handy, I find that especially in winter the grape tomatoes have the better flavor and are easiest to find ripe. This recipe makes enough for 2 people so if you are serving a larger crowd just multiply as needed. 1 container grape tomatoes (15-20 tomatoes) 1 TBS olive oil 1 tsp fresh rosemary (1/2 tsp if rosemary is dried) 3 TBS Grated Parmesan Cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut all tomatoes in half and place in a small mixing bowl. Add TBS and rosemary and stir together, let sit for 15-20 minutes (longer if you can). Place tomatoes in small baking dish (if you want to make it really pretty put all the cut sides up, but I just throw them in there) and cover with the Parmesan and put in the oven to bake. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese is starting to brown on top. Cukes and Shallots Salad I'm not a fan of strong onion tastes, so I love to use shallots instead of onions for the great onion flavor but they are more tender, but you can use onions just as easy. This is a super treat in the summer as well or you can alter the herb for a new flavor profile. Again this makes enough for 2 people, so just multiply as you need to. 1 cucumber 1 shallot 1 tsp dried dill (2 tsp if you have fresh) 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar 1 1/2 tsp olive oil Slice your cucumbers and shallots to desired thickness, I like very thin slices. Combine in a bowl all ingredients and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, longer if you have time. Serve with a slotted spoon if you have one available so you don't get all the juices on your plate or serve in bowls.