Get Cookin'

Yes, Get Cookin'. This is campaign from the American Diabetes Association. Now I have been saying this for quite some time, but for fun. Now, we have a health reason to do it.

November is American Diabetes Month - a time to come together and raise awareness of this ever-growing epidemic that is facing our nation. And what better time to start thinking about how you can cook healthy and tasty meals, and get moving - to Stop Diabetes^®.

Choosing a healthy lifestyle is one of the most important things you can do to manage or prevent diabetes. That’s why, all month long, we are asking America to get cooking to Stop Diabetes.

 

For additional help on cooking to Stop Diabetes check out  American Diabetes Association.

 

For my cooking efforts this month, I chose a new cook book - Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day by Leanne Brown.

 

 I chose Spicy Green Beans. The recipe makes two servings, but can be easily doubled.

 Spicy Green Beans

Yields 2 Servings

Ingredients

 

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

½ pound green beans, ends trimmed, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sambal oelek (or 2 teaspoons chili flakes)

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1.  Add vegetable oil to a frying pan on medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the green beans. Cover and cook undisturbed for about 1 minute.

 

2.  In a small bowl combine garlic, soy sauce, sambal oelek, ginger, and lemon juice.

 

3.  The beans should have turned bright green. Add about ¼ cup of water to the pan. Cook another 2 minutes, until the water is mostly gone. Pour the sauce into the pan and toss gently to coat. Cook another 2 minutes, until everything is fragrant and most of the liquid is gone. Poke the beans with a fork: if it goes through easily, they are done. They should take about 5 minutes.

 4.      Taste and add more chili sauce or soy sauce if you want the beans hotter or saltier.

 Note: Sambal oelek is an Indonesian flavoring paste made from ground bird chilies, salt, oil and vinegar.
 

 

 



 

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Gettin' By and Makin' Do

Some of us grew up in an era where you made do with what you had. You went without until you could afford it. You used it up and you wore it out! And it is that vein, that I am writing this blog.

In my refrigerator, I found an "empty" bottle of Dijon mustard. "Empty", meaning you can't get it all  without the addition of liquid. Enter vinegar, in this case, red wine vinegar.

I actually got the idea for using mustard in a salad dressing from the French. And you know, they got that food thing going on. The French often add mustard to salad dressings. If you to make something else with mustard, check out Serious Eats.

This is simple and it's a no recipe, recipe. Add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to the mustard. Put the top on and shake it up. A kid will come in handy for this part. Once it's mixed, add a little olive oil, one or two tablespoons should do it. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can also dress this up with parsley, chives, shallots, or not. You decide.  It's okay to store this in the refrigerator for a few days. Allow to come to room temperature before using.

I used my dressing on boiled potatoes. But don't be limited to potatoes, use green beans, green salad, asparagus. It would even be good a broiled salmon. Give it a try and you will never toss an "empty" mustard jar again.

Healthy Holiday Sides - Green Beans

 

Green beans seem to be a perennial favorite for the holiday table.  And that's a good thing.  If you are looking for an easy to prepare and healthy green bean recipe, this recipe may be an option.  Before you get too caught up in the healthy part, it does have two slices of bacon.  It serves 6, so that's ⅓ of a slice per person.  It is the holidays and a little bacon during the holidays is okay.

Bacony Green Bean Salad

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

1½ pounds green beans, trimmed
2 slices bacon, diced
⅓ cup minced shallots
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, optional
Juice of one lemon

Directions:

1.  Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.  Add green beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Drain.  Rinse with cold water and drain well.  Pat dry.  (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Refrigerate until ready to finish cooking.)

2.  Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Transfer to paper towels.  Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat.  Add shallots to skillet and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often.

3.  Add green beans; sprinkle beans with salt.  Stir to coat.  Add olive oil, if desired and lemon juice.  Stir until beans are heated through.  Place in a serving bowl and top with bacon.

Bacon and Farmers Market

I have not made it to my local farmer's market this year.  Normally, I am regular by this time.  Before you feel too sorry for me, I missed several opportunities to go to the market due to a trip to Sicily.  Ok, your sympathy for me has hit a new low!

Although Sicily was a lot of fun, I really did miss my local farmer's market.  No matter how many farmer's markets I visit, nothing beats my farmer's market.  So what's so special about my farmer's market?  For everyone else, probably nothing.  For me, it's just a special place. 



Since I have not traveled to the market this year, I have been dreaming about what I could make with my first purchase at the market.    I found a recipe for Warm Bacon Vinaigrette in the April issue of Cooking Light.  I thought it would be a perfect dressing for fresh farmer's market vegetables.  I made the vinaigrette and used it on potatoes and greens beans.  They were pretty good, even if I must say so myself.

More Green Beans

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about that ever present Thanksgiving dish – Green Bean Casserole.  This week, before the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to post another green bean recipe for people who just can’t fall in love with the green bean casserole.  I found this recipe after a few failed attempts.  I must say it is my favorite recipe.  I could not stop eating them.  Now how many times can you say that you have been unable to stop eating green beans?

There are a couple of things that I like about this recipe – it can be partially prepared ahead of time and it is cooked completely on the stovetop.  It is quick and simple. 

Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

1½ pounds green beans, trimmed

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1½ Tablespoons olive oil

1½ Tablespoons butter

1 clove of garlic

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced 

Directions:

1.     Fill a Dutch oven about half full of water and bring to a boil.  Add green beans; cover, reduce heat.  Simmer for about 10 minutes or until tender.  Drain beans.

2.     Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.  Add beans, juice, salt, and pepper.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Sprinkle with parsley. 

Note:  If desired green beans can be cooked ahead of time and sautéed just before serving.

Green Bean Casserole – The King of Holiday Side Dishes

It seems that you can always tell when Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are approaching.  This is the time of the year when the green bean casserole makes its annual appearance. I talk to lots of people about this dish.  Some people always had it on the holiday table.  Others are just kind of ho-hum about it.  No matter, everyone has an opinion about it. 

And why not serve green bean casserole for Thanksgiving dinner.  It is a uniquely American dish.  The green bean casserole was developed by the Campbell Soup Company in 1955.  The idea was to make a quick and easy dish consisting of items that most people would always have on hand – green beans and cream of mushroom soup. The original casserole contained only 5 ingredients – green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce and French fried onions.   

We decided to update this American classic. We started with a cream sauce and used real mushrooms, onion, and frozen green beans.  It is a little more work than the original, but worth the effort.  However, we did keep the original onion rings.  No one was willing to part with them.  And why should we, this is, afterall a comfort dish and it is the holidays. 

Even though our version is a little more work, it can be assembled ahead of time.  On the day of the dinner, top with onions, bake and serve.  So go ahead and enjoy a little of an American classic.

Green Bean Casserole

Serves 8.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ small onion, chopped

8 ounces fresh mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth

½ cup reduced fat sour cream

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 package (16 ounce) frozen green beans or

            1 pound fresh

1 can (2.8 ounce) French fried onions

 Directions:

1.      Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring often, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add mushrooms, cook, stirring until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Stir in flour.

2.      Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in sour cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

To Assemble Casserole:

1.      Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.      Combine sauce and green beans.

3.     Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.  Pour green bean mixture into baking dish.  Place in oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 25 minutes.  Top with fried onions and bake for about 10 minutes.

What’s Wrong with Something Old?

A few days ago, I checked out an online video on what’s new at the grocery store. Cooking Light - http://bit.ly/d6Y8cH. And I got to thinking, “what’s wrong with the old stuff”. Before you become upset, I have nothing against new foods. I am all for advancement and improving the nutritional value of one’s diet. It’s just that I believe we sometimes undervalue foods that have been around. We always seem to be looking for the next great fix. So today, I am taking the time to talk about a few old favorites of mine.

Let’s start with the much maligned potato. The poor potato gets no respect. It’s about time we paid the potato it due. One serving (about 5.3 ounces) contains 110 calories, 620 mg of potassium, and 45% of the daily vitamin C requirements. When consumed with the skin, you get 2 g of fiber. As an added bonus, potatoes are a fat free food. For a new take on potato salad, try the recipe for lemon chive potato salad - http://bit.ly/9T3V1H. I tried it. It’s great!

Now is a great time to reach for a fresh tomato. And added bonus, tomatoes don’t require cooking. One medium tomato contains 35 calories, 100 IU of vitamin A, and 24 mg of vitamin C. Try this recipe for Caprese Salad http://bit.ly/d6Y7wy. Also give this Greek Salad a try. They both come together in a snap!

Greek Salad
Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1 cucumber
2 medium vine ripened tomatoes
½ small red onion
¼ cup Kalamata olives
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces feta cheese, block or crumbles
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 to 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Oregano, for garnish

Directions:
1. Peel and dice cucumber. Core tomatoes and dice tomatoes. Combine cucumbers and tomatoes. Slice onion and add to salad. Add olives, salt, pepper and oregano. Toss ingredients together.

2. Top with feta cheese. Pour a small amount of olive oil over salad. Add vinegar. Garnish with a little oregano. Fresh oregano can be used if desired.

And last, but certainly not least, try green beans. They do not need to be smothered in bacon fat, however, as a good Southerner; I would not turn them down. One serving (100g) of green beans contain only 31 calories; almost 3 g of fiber, 690 IU of vitamin A, 12 mg of vitamin C, and 33 mg of folic acid. A simple method to prepare green beans is to steam them and add a vinaigrette dressing. This makes a terrific salad. Or try this recipe for Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette. http://bit.ly/bKKzWl.

Enjoy some these old favorites. If you have a favorite oldie, we would love to hear about it.