Summer side dishes: courgette and carrot ribbons & roasted tomatoes

I cannot believe I am already sharing summer recipes here. Wasn't it winter time not that long ago? Did the lockdown also make us skip Spring altogether?
As much as the first month of lockdown went really slow, the rest happened in a flash. 
We had completed on our very first house right before the lockdown and had not been able to get some much needed work done or even move there (because damp proofing would have required us to stay away for a while). And suddenly, work is being done and we are already packing our boxes for the big move (which we will do by ourselves because of social distancing).

​The next few weeks are going to involve a lot of unpacking, fixing things, painting and DIY-ing whatever we can do by ourselves. We won't have a dining room nor a living room ready for a while (the damp proofing has to dry properly) so we will need easy simple meals that we can quickly make in between working from home, applying multiple coats of primer and paint, and installing furniture (when it arrives...).

​Insert two easy summer side dishes: carrot and courgette ribbons, and garlic and parsley roasted tomatoes.

Those two side dishes are really simple, delicious and packed with flavours. They have adorned many of our work from home lunches over the past few weeks. Each of them can be served alongside a nice variety of other dishes. 
The courgette and carrot ribbons are great served with grilled fish or meat, topped with a fried egg or tossed with a bit of tomato sauce and herbs and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. We also had it as a topping for bowls of udon or soba noodles in miso broth (and a teaspoon or two of White Mausu incredible peanut rayu).
The garlic and parsley roasted tomatoes are wonderful served with crusty bread and a piece of grilled halloumi or topped with fresh mozzarella. We also had this as part of brunch with toasted bread, scrambled eggs and cucumber salad.

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What are your favourite summer time side dishes? 
What would you eat those vegetable ribbons and roasted tomatoes with?

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Garlic and Parsley Roasted Tomatoes Recipe (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Ingredients (for 2 people)

2 tomatoes
1 minced garlic clove
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Cut the tomatoes in half and place them (cut face up) in a baking dish.

2. In a small bowl, mix the minced garlic, chopped parsley, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spoon the mixture on top of the halved tomatoes.
Place the dish on the top shelf of the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve the tomatoes with your favourite summer time main courses. It also goes very well for brunch with grilled halloumi or topped with fresh mozzarella.

Courgette and Carrot Ribbons Recipe (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Ingredients (for 2 people)

1 courgette
1 large or 2 small carrots
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground rainbow pepper (pepper mix) or black pepper

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the courgette and carrot into ribbons (stop at the core for the carrot and at the seeds for the courgette). 

2. Put the olive oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat. When it is sizzling (check with one of the vegetable ribbons), toss in the courgette and carrot ribbons and cook for 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of freshly ground rainbow pepper.

Put in a small dish and serve alongside your main course.

Bon appétit!