Stuck in a rut with the same old side dishes for every meal? Here’s 3 new ways to spice it up and add a healthy alternative. If you like asparagus, try a quick stir fry in soy sauce. Zucchini is great grilled, but even better when you add my lamb seasoning (see earlier post on 5/8/21 for spice mixture and alternative). Add roasting some Shishito peppers in a light grapeseed oil with coarse sea salt to any meal for a great twist. Shishito peppers are a Japanese variety, slighty sweet similar to green peppers in taste.

Ingredients :

(peppers)

15 Shishito peppers

2 tbsp grapeseed oil (can substitute olive, avocado or canola)

1/2 tbsp coarse salt

(zucchini)

1 zucchini (sliced on an angle about 1/2 an inch wide)

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

2 tbsp lamb seasoning (can substitute with tandoori)

(asparagus)

15 stalks asparagus, cut in thirds

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions :

For peppers, toss in a bowl with the oil then sprinkle the salt and toss again. Place on a baking sheet, spaced out in a single layer and bake at 450* for 8 minutes. Don’t worry if the peppers inflate, they will deflate quickly once removed from the oven. Once peppers start to blister they are ready. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. One note of caution, every so often (like maybe one per recipe), a pepper might have a spicy kick to it. No one knows why this happens but its a fun game to see if anyone gets one.

For zucchini, slice zucchini anyway you want, but I prefer on an angle for aesthetics. Brush both sides with oil, season and rub it in a bit to make sure it adheres. Grill at 450* for 4 minutes per side.

For asparagus, heat a pan on the stove to low to medium heat. Add oil, then asparagus and toss in the pan to coat. Add soy sauce and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.