christmas dinner

We had an unusual Christmas this year. Christmas Eve has always been the big day for both of our families - we share the earlier part of the day with my family, then head to Brad's parents in the evening to finish the day with his family. Usually Christmas day we'll go to one of our siblings houses for a low key day, but this year was different and we stayed home. It was our first Christmas in 10 years (!) spent with just each other and it was wonderful.

We woke early and exchanged gifts. I made coffee while Brad made his delicious egg/potato omelette breakfast. We took our showers for the day, but then put pajama's back on. We read books and listened to music and watch a movie and shared a bottle of wine. It was the most relaxing Christmas day I've ever had and it was perfect.

I was excited to make dinner for us since neither of us had ever had to cook for Christmas (spoiled by the delicious cooks in our families). I found this recipe and it sounded like the perfect dinner for us - a great comfort food dish, but not too heavy at all. Just a little bit of preparation cutting all the veggies and making the pesto ahead of time, this came together in under an hour.

Roasted Root Vegetable with Walnut Pesto

Vegetables:
3 cups (1-inch-thick) slices carrot (about 1 pound)
3 cups (1-inch-thick) slices parsnip (about 1 pound)
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled turnip
3 cups trimmed halved Brussels sprouts (about 1 pound)
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges
Olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pesto:
2 cups basil leaves
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, peeled

To prepare pesto, combine basil leaves and remaining ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides. Spoon basil mixture over vegetable mixture, and toss to coat.

To prepare vegetables, place first 6 ingredients in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly drizzle vegetable mixture with olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; toss. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until brown, stirring/checking every 10 minutes or so. Transfer vegetable mixture to a large bowl.

recipe adapted from cookinglight.com