As a former vegetarian and huge veggie lover, I pay as much attention to my vegetables as I do to the meat in any meal. They can easily make or break a dinner! The important qualities to these side dishes is 1) super fresh veggies– don’t see good heirloom tomatoes, but see good roma tomatoes? Sub it in! I highly recommend subbing in something if it looks better or is in season 2) some acid and crisp– especially when pairing with a heartier or smokier meat, having some light acidic and crispy vegetables is key for contrast.
Farmer’s Market Peppers & Heirloom Tomato Side
See my note above about subbing it whatever you find fresh! For me, that was sungold tomatoes at the market (although I’m also biased and put them on everything). Choose the freshest tomatoes and peppers you can find, and try to pick different colors for a nice contrast in color.
- 1 cup baby heirloom tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
- juice of 1 lime
- sea salt and pepper
Toss all ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste. See below for my food prep tip- while it’s not quite as crucial for this side, I recommend holding off of the lime, salt and pepper until the day you plan to eat this if you can. It will keep it as fresh as possible!
Crispy & Light Mexican Slaw
Food Prep Tip: If you’re planning on having this throughout the week, I recommend making the dressing separately, and adding right before you eat it. Otherwise the cabbage doesn’t stay as crisp. Wilted cabbage is such a downer, and this gets its pop through the crunch!
- 1 9 oz. bag shredded cabbage (I chose one that had both green and purple cabbage for some pop in color)
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- optional (for an extra crunch): 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- juice of 1 lime
- sea salt and pepper
Mix together oil, honey, lime, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl or cup. When thoroughly mixed, pour over shredded cabbage and toss with hands, massaging dressing into the cabbage. Add pecans and toss.