Giveaway Winner

First of all I have to give a big “Thank You!” to Jen Boss for the Home Executive planner giveaway.  I’m on week three of using mine and I’m still just really loving it. 

And now what you’re waiting for – the giveaway winner is…

Carol!

(I’ve sent you an email Carol)

Thank you to all of you – I wish I could give each of you one!   Jen does sell these planners on her website (you pay through paypal) and she also has a list of stores that carry her planner as well.  If you didn’t get a chance to look through the Home Executive planner, go here and flip through. 

And now because I should have a little bit of something that is food related…

These are a recent favorite around my house – black bean burgers with tomato, salsa, guacamole and lettuce.  Now lest you start to think that I’ve been cooking, I have to admit that there is no recipe for these burgers.  Here’s the secret:





Yes, Costco to the rescue again.  Don’t be afraid of the “chipotle” on the label.  These are not spicy.  They do have great southwest flavor though.  Another great thing?  You keep this box in your freezer and throw these burgers on the grill right from the freezer.  No thawing necessary.  They cook up in 6-8 minutes or so.  Perfect for those hot Summer evenings!

My Favorite New Treat (that won’t make me sick)

I don’t eat a lot of dairy.  I can’t eat it.  It makes me quite sick. 

Not many years ago I had no such problem, and enjoyed a daily (oh yeah) bowl of ice cream.  I miss my daily bowl of ice cream. 

Last week I was perusing my friend’s raw food blog and came across her recipe for a dessert chocolate shake.   I had all of the ingredients so I thought I’d try it out.  (Well, I didn’t have the raw cocoa powder so I subbed in the regular stuff.)  I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical so I only made a half-recipe at first.  It was delicious!  Amazingly creamy.  I’m a big fan now and since last week I’ve made four or five more.  It’s hard to share, but I do – and everyone else loves this shake too.

Angela recently gave a mini class about raw food.  Here’s a link to some notes from her presentation.  She also brought yummy samples for Raw Milk Chocolate Fudge and a creamy Apple Salad.  Really, really good.


Want to know more about eating raw? 
http://www.choosingraw.com/
http://www.rawmazing.com/
http://www.rawmelissa.com/
http://www.rawfoodnation.org/
http://www.goneraw.com/recipes

Rustic Pan Bread (part 2)

My current favorite:  Rustic Pan Bread.  The recipe can be found here, although there are no “after” pics on that post.  I love, love love this bread.  So fast.  So easy.  No kneading. 




In these photos I topped the bread with some melted butter, rosemary, garlic powder and a pinch of kosher salt.  Next time I’m trying some thinly sliced tomatoes before baking, and a sprinkle of fresh basil when it comes out of the oven.

Orange, Walnut & Feta salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Oranges are just so lovely and delicious right now.  I saw them all heaped up at the grocery store yesterday,  just calling my name.

Today for lunch I combined some orange segments with romaine, thinly sliced red onions, toasted walnuts and crumbled feta.  I tossed it all in a fresh citrusy vinaigrette.  It brought just a bit of sunshine to an otherwise cold and wintery day. 





Citrus Vinaigrette

2/3 cup fresh orange juice
2-3 Tablespoons granulated sugar (depending on the sweetness of the oranges)
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

In a bowl or a jar with a lid (I use a mason jar) add all ingredients except salt & pepper.
Shake (or whisk) to combine.  Taste, and add salt and pepper.

Donut Muffins

My sister is to blame for this next recipe. Yes. Blame.

They are little bite-sized muffins that taste like donut holes. Why not just make donut holes you ask? Well because these are just as good, they are quick to mix up using things you most likely have in your pantry AND (a big bonus) they don’t get fried in oil.

These are the perfect little bite of fall-esque goodness. Mix a batch up for an after school snack. Serve them alongside a mug of apple cider, or hot chocolate. One batch makes 24 perfect little muffins. You’re going to want to try these. Really.

Here’s the link:

Donut Muffins

Please don’t be tempted to leave out the nutmeg. These really need the nutmeg. If you’re making these and you’re out of nutmeg, call me and I’ll lend you mine. Oh and thank you Mindy for the yummy recipe!

Dinner for One

Recently I overheard someone say how it is more time consuming to cook healthy meals.  For the most part I disagree.  I know there are a lot of fancy-shmancy recipes out there that are healthy and quite complicated.  But cooking healthy doesn’t need to be complicated.  For me, it just takes a little planning.
For example – tonight’s dinner.  Hubby was working late and kids wanted spaghetti.  I didn’t want spaghetti.  I dug through my fridge and found some vegetables and some leftover chopped romaine. 
In the time it took me to boil the water for my kids’ spaghetti, I preheated the oven to 425 degrees and washed and chopped a few veggies (not having to peel anything was a big time saver.)
In the time it took me to put the pasta in the water, the vegetables got a quick toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
In the time it took me to cook the pasta I mixed up a quick balsamic vinaigrette and the veggies got a quick roast in the oven.
In the time it took me to drain the pasta and add the sauce, I had my salad plated and on the table. 

Need the details? 
I used: (1 serving) 4-5 brussels sprouts, 4-5 pieces of cauliflower, 8 asparagus spears, one small zuchinni
Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with foil.
Cut the tough little stem off of the brussels sprouts and slice each in half.
Slice the small zuchinni into 1 inch slices (if you cut a little on the diagonal you get nice long, pretty slices)
Chop the cauliflower into small to medium sized pieces
Cut about 1 inch off of the asparagus (just the last bit of the stem – it’s usually pretty tough)
Place vegetables on foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Toss gently with your hands.  I do like to keep my vegetables in little groups like this so that if say the asparagus is done first (which it is) then it is easy to pull out and set aside. 


Roast vegetables in oven for 8-10 minutes, possibly less.  It all depends on the size of your vegetables!  I did peek at about 5 minutes and used a pair of tongs to toss the vegetables a little.
Serve as a side dish (easy dinner = store bought rotisserie chicken + quick oven roasted vegetables) or atop a bed of chopped romaine for a delicious roasted vegetable salad. 

Vegetarian Chili

I haven’t been in a soup-mood for quite some time. Months, actually. Something changed this week (uh, like the weather) and I’m starting to bring my soups back into the rotation. Vegetarian Chili is one of the first soups to make an appearance each fall; it uses some of those fresh garden veggies, and doesn’t have that heavy-made-from-loads-of-cream feeling. Oh and the leftovers are amazing!
Here’s two ways to get this dinner to the table quickly:
option #1: Prep all of your veggies earlier in the day. Mince and chop everything and put it in the fridge. (A friend of mine preps for dinner right after breakfast. I like to do it right after lunch.) Then when it is time for dinner heat your pot, toss in all veggies and saute. The rest is easy – open all of the cans and dump them in!
option #2: Make the entire soup that morning (or at lunch, like me). About 20 minutes before meal time, heat it up and you’re ready!


California Vegetarian Chili

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
2 cans (14-oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 can black beans, drained
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 Tbsp yellow mustard

Heat oil in a large (6 qt) kettle. Add garlic and veggies. Saute until veggies are crisp-tender.
Add all other ingredients. Stir well. Cover and simmer at least 10 minutes, and up to 30 minutes. Serve and garnish with cheese and/or avocados.

Out of the Habit

I admit it. I am totally out of the habit of blogging. Somewhere in June I got tired of photographing everything before I ate it. I stopped taking detailed notes about how much of this and that I tossed into the pot. For a weekly menu I just scribbled down a list of things I thought would be delicious, without concern for what day each meal would fall on. I did keep cooking. And I did take a few photos. A few.

Last year we had just a few bean plants in our garden. This year we had 16. I discovered that it was just about the perfect amount for our family. It was wonderful – we were able to have fresh green beans for dinner every three to four days. Here is our favorite way to prepare them:

green beans

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 Tbsp onion, minced

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

olive oil

kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper

Pick beans, and trim the ends off. Cut beans to be similar lengths.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add beans, boil 5 minutes uncovered. Check for doneness. Cover pot with a lid and boil another 3-5 minutes until done. I’ve found bean “doneness” to be a personal preference. I like softer beans, but if you like your beans with a little crunch, then don’t boil them as long. The size of the beans will determine cooking time as well.

Drain beans and set aside (this will help them dry a little as well. You really don’t want to toss wet beans into hot oil. Trust me.)

Mince garlic and onion, and chop rosemary.

Heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Add beans, garlic and onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently (don’t let the garlic & onions burn.) Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper (to taste). Toss to coat. Remove from pan and serve.

Gardening

I’m here. I’ve just been busy. Some of my time has been taken up with trying to make some changes to my computer. For the past month I feel as if my computer has been non-functioning more than it’s been functioning. All better now though.

I’ve also been caring for and eating from our garden. Honestly, the actual gardening doesn’t take that much time – maybe 15 minutes each day to water and pick. Guess how many weeds I’ve pulled this year…. 7. I’m not exaggerating. Last year it was 2. I’m a huge fan of square foot gardening. In a small space we’ve been able to plant more than enough herbs and vegetables for our family.

Here’s what we’ve been enjoying this year:

corn (planted 18)

cucumbers (1 vine)

jalapenos (1)

onions (20)

peas (12)

tomatoes (early girl & grape)

banana peppers (1)

basil (2 plants. Can’t you just smell it? yum!)

green beans (16 plants, two varieties)

carrots (4 varieties, 128 carrots total)

cilantro (crop #2 – hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy it before the first frost)

green peppers (2)

We also have chives, oregano, thyme, leeks and parsley.

I love love love the foods of summer.

These Balsamic Grilled Vegetables are amazing and really easy. Grill them up while your salmon (or burgers, hot dogs, etc) is on the grill and you’re good to go. We have these at least once a week, sometimes as terriyaki grilled vegetables and occasionally as plain ol’ salt/pepper/olive oil grilled vegetables.

Strawberry-Spinach Couscous Salad

I really enjoy my daily newspaper reading.

Growing up we always subscribed to the daily paper and I enjoyed flipping through it as I ate breakfast. Ok let’s be honest – I only looked at the ads and comics. When I went to college a daily paper subscription was a splurge so it didn’t happen. Later, when I could afford the splurge I realized that everything was online anyway and it was easier to just read it there so again – no newspaper subscription. Recently however I noted that I was spending less and less time online and even less time watching tv so I was WAY out of touch with what was going on in the world. A few months ago I decided to try getting the daily paper and now I’m really enjoying it. It usually takes me all day to read it through, but I feel like I’m more aware of events in my community, state and nation. Oh, and of course the ads and comics.

I don’t normally look to the paper as a source for recipes and cooking ideas. In fact, I admit I’m a bit skeptical of newspaper recipes (why is that I wonder?) But back in June I spotted this recipe in the newspaper and realized that #1: it sounded deliciously refreshing and #2: I had all of the necessary ingredients. We ate it for dinner that night, as a side to our grilled chicken.

Here’s what I liked about it: I love that it has spinach in it. I’m always looking for ways to incorporate some of the spinach from my garden into our meals. The inclusion of almonds was fantastic. I love the crunchy almonds with the soft sweet strawberries. The orange vinaigrette was a citrusy delight. Over all this salad is great, however I felt there was something wrong with the ratio of couscous to spinach. I think I was expecting more spinach and less couscous, so the end result of this salad kind of threw me off. Next time I think I’ll cut the amount of couscous in half and double the spinach. Some fresh squeezed lemon juice added to the couscous while it cooks might be nice as well.

I found the recipe online for you and it even has a print-page option. (It’s on the Denver Post site but don’t worry, it’s the same exact recipe.) Enjoy!

Strawberry-Spinach Couscous Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Panzanella

This bread salad is one of my favorite recipes from Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa on Food Network).  It’s also one of the loveliest salads I’ve ever made.  Even the garbage bowl is pretty:

   

 

The recipe can be found here, along with a printable version so I won’t bother retyping it.  Here are the highlights though! 

 

First, cube your bread:

 

Then toast it in a skillet with some olive oil.  Be sure to add enough salt and pepper.  The bread cubes play a significant role in this salad and you don’t want them to be tasteless. 

 

While the bread is toasting and cooing, chop your vegetables.  The onions get sliced nice and thinly:

If you’re in a hurry, you can just chop the cucumber as-is, but if you have the time it’s a good idea to seed them.  I use a spoon – nice and quick. 

The rest of the vegetables get a nice chop as well.  Keep in mind that you want this salad to be easy to eat; everything should be bite-sized.  Try to keep your tomatoes and peppers to about a 1-inch cube.  There’s nothing more awkward than trying to stuff a huge juicy piece of tomato in your mouth while maintaining your dignity.

Throw all veggies (red pepper, green or yellow pepper, cucumber, tomato, red onion) and basil in a bowl.  Make sure the bowl is big enough to give you room to really toss this salad.  For the basil, I’ve chopped it (like in the photo below) and I’ve also done a chiffonade.  I think I prefer the chiffonade.  (Want to learn how?  See this)

 

Add your toasted bread cubes and the vinaigrette.  Oh, and for the vinaigrette, I use white wine vinegar instead of champagne vinegar (only because that’s what I have in my pantry.)

 

You can serve this right away, or let it sit for 10-20 minutes and allow the vinaigrette to soak into the bread a bit.  This salad does not keep at all, so only make as much as you need for that one meal. 

Panzanella really is best if you eat it soon, but if you need to prepare the salad ahead of time, just keep all of the components separate.  Chop the vegetables and combine with the basil.  Store those in one container.  Make the vinaigrette (you can add a bit to the veggies if you like) and store in a separate little jar.  Toast the bread last, and when it’s cooled, then you can put it in a baggie for later.  I wouldn’t seal the bag all the way or your nice crunchy bread cubes will end up chewy.  bleh. 

Stir-Fry

Stir fry is one of my go-to meals.  I usually have the ingredients on hand, and I can throw it together quickly.  There is no real “recipe” and my stir fry is a bit different every time depending on what’s in my fridge.  Here is the one thing that is always in my stir fry:

 

 

Let’s face it, a delicious sauce made with love from fresh ingredients is the best.  But there are days when I have approximately 16.5 minutes to throw dinner together so we can get on with our busy evening.  When that is the case, a store-bought sauce will have to do.  I’ve tried other bottled sauces and we either don’t like the flavor, or they’re too runny.  This one is our favorite, and it works great as a dip for tempura vegetables as well.  (side note:  while this does contain sugar, don’t get caught up on that.  If some yummy sauce helps your kids eat a plate full of vegetables, then go for it!)

 

I also keep some of these noodles in my pantry.  They’re thin, so they boil up quickly and I can toss them in with the stir fry at the last minute.  It can help stretch a 3-serving stir fry into a 4 or 5-serving stir fry.  I also use these noodles in my Sesame Ginger Noodles. 

 

 

The vegetables (and fruits) that have made an appearance in this dish at one time or another are (in no particular order):  mushrooms, carrots, yellow onions, green onions, green/yellow/red peppers, sliced water chestnuts, zucchini, cilantro, pineapple, diced tomatoes, broccoli, and celery.  Usually I only have 3 or 4 of those on hand, and I think if you were to use too many veggies it would be kind of a mess. 

 

 

To finish off the stir fry, I have some toasted sesame seeds on the table as well as this stuff:  Chili Garlic Sauce.  I can take about 3 drops of this stuff, while Mr. Dinner’s on Me can ladle it on by the spoonful. 

 

There is not really a recipe for stir fry, so instead I’ll type up the process that I use to create my stir fry.  First I prep all my meats and vegetables.  Usually I’m using chicken, and I chop it into bite sized pieces so it’s easy for the kids to manage.  Vegetables get the same treatment.

 

I heat a large fry pan (mine’s non-stick) to medium-high heat and add a Tablespoon or so of oil.  Add the chicken pieces and cook until about half way done.  Push chicken to the side, add a little more oil if necessary and toss in your vegetables.  If you pan is not big enough, you may need to remove your chicken for this step.  I let the veggies cook for 4-5 minutes and then I add some teriyaki sauce and stir everything together.  The chicken and vegetables finish cooking in the sauce.  Depending on the vegetables you use, you may need to add a little bit of water.  At this point, I toss in my cooked noodles so they can absorb some of the flavor of the sauce.  You could also serve the stir fry over plain noodles, or leave the noodles out and serve over rice. 

 

We love this dish as leftovers too! 

Chickpea Salad

I love summer salads, and this one does not disappoint. We've eaten it two ways; As a salad (exactly following the recipe) and also as a pita filling, by mixing it with lettuce and grilled chicken. Both were great.

The original recipe is from one of my favorite Food Network Chefs, Guy Fieri. I used not quite all of the same ingredients, and changed the amounts of everything. My version is below




Click here for printable version of recipe


Chickpea Salad
serves 4


1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 of a jalapeno, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less spicy)
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup canned chickpeas - drain and reserve 1 Tbsp of liquid
1/2 cup (mounded) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 Tablespoons minced fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

butter lettuce, romaine or other lettuce, chopped


In a medium sized bowl, combine garlic, jalapeno, red onion, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chickpeas and 1 Tbsp liquid, cherry tomatoes, mint and cilantro. Taste again and add any additional salt and pepper if needed.

You can either toss this mixture with the lettuce now, or serve them separately. I prefer to add the lettuce to my plate and then spoon the chickpea salad over the top. The benefit to doing it this way, is if you have leftovers they will keep longer. If the two are mixed, the vinaigrette can make the greens soggy over time.

Sweet Corn Puree

We eat out about once each week. We have our favorite places, but we also like to try new ones. Occasionally I'll order something that is so memorable I either HAVE to go back to order it again, or I figure out a way to make it for myself. Back in April we went out for my birthday and that night my first course was a Roasted Corn Puree. Oh my. If it would have been socially acceptable, I would have been licking the bowl clean.

Days later, I was still thinking about that Roasted Corn Puree. It just tasted like summer to me. At the time our local weather was still quite winter-like and it was getting depressing. A taste of summer was just what the doctor ordered. I did a quick search and found a few corn puree recipes that I could work with and then created my own to make what I thought was a close version of the one I tasted weeks ago. Mr. DoM agreed that it was pretty darn close - close enough! Who needs a $5 cup of soup when you can make a whole pot for the same price. Hm. Now that I think about it, I bet this recipe would freeze nicely too.

A few tips.... Because this recipe is so simple, you have to use great corn. I have a brand of frozen corn that we love (huge Costco bag) but once wonderfully fresh corn is available later this Summer, that's what I'll be using. You just can't beat it.



One more important tip: If you do use your blender to puree the soup (which I recommend), be very careful. Whenever I blend hot liquids, I remove the center portion of the lid and then cover the lid with a clean dishtowel. This allows steam and pressure to escape without making a mess of your kitchen!




Click here for printable version of recipe


Sweet Corn Puree
(serves 4 as side dish/appetizer)

2 Tablespoons butter
2 shallots, diced
2/3 cup to 3/4 cup diced potato
3 cups chicken broth, divided
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups frozen corn (good quality)
4-5 drops Tabasco
1 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream


In a medium to large pot, melt butter over low heat. Add shallots and cook over low heat for 10 minutes until softened. Keep heat low so that butter and shallots do not brown.

Increase heat, add potato, 2 cups broth, bay leaf and corn. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are nice and soft. Remove bay leaf.

Using a blender (my traditional blender worked better than my immersion blender) puree soup until very smooth. *Be careful when blending hot liquids.* Return soup to original pot and place over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and any additional chicken broth until soup reaches the consistency you would like. Add Tabasco sauce and any additional salt and pepper to taste. Heat until warmed through, and serve.

Oven Dried Tomatoes

I am really looking forward to Spring this year. Well, I suppose I do every year, but this year I have a different reason. All Winter I've been planning my garden and dreaming of all the delicious things I'd like to plant. I've never tried growing tomatoes before, but I'm going to this year, along with all of the local garden classics....carrots, beans, peas, and peppers.



Last week I went through a catalog looking (and drooling) over all of the different tomato varieties. Who knew there were so stinkin' many? I haven't yet decided on which ones to try this year. Any recommendations?

In the meantime, here's a recipe for Oven Dried Tomatoes. They are easy to make, but it requires some forethought. These beauties cook low and slow and end up with a lovely sweetness that can add the perfect flavor to pastas, sandwiches, salads, or just an afternoon snack.

I usually select Roma tomatoes for oven drying, however I think any variety would work just fine.

• Wash & dry tomatoes

• Slice tomatoes in about 1/2" slices. This doesn't have to be exact, but I wouldn't slice any thinner than 1/4", or any thicker than 3/4". If you're using plum or cherry tomatoes, you can probably just slice them in half.

• Place tomato slices on a parchment lined baking sheet

• Drizzle with olive oil

• Season with a little salt and pepper

• Toss a few whole garlic cloves on the baking sheet (optional)

• Bake at 200 degrees for 5-6 hours. For a drier, chewy tomato, increase to 6-8 hours.

I usually make these the day before I need them, and then just store them in a plastic bag in the fridge. We eat them so quickly, long-term storage has never been an option for me. I have seen other dried tomato recipes though that say you can place tomatoes in a jar, cover with olive oil, then store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Our Favorite Balsamic Vinaigrette

Balsamic Vinaigrette

4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove (either minced, or pushed through a press)
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste
optional: 1/2 tsp brown sugar (some low end balsamic vinegars can be a little bitter)


Combine the vinegar, mustard and garlic in a blender. (I use my immersion blender with the whisk attachment.) Leaving the blender on low, slowly pour in olive oil and process until ingredients are combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to about 1 week.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Roasted Red Pepper Soup
serves 6-8

2 medium onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
olive oil (about 2 Tbsp)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon dried Basil
6 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth ok too)
a total of 24 to 28-oz of jarred roasted red peppers, liquid drained**
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste**

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onions, celery and carrots. Saute vegetables for 7-10 minutes until the onions are translucent and carrots are tender. Add garlic, dried Thyme and dried Basil and cook for 3-4 more minutes.

Add broth, red peppers, cream, Tabasco sauce and Parmesan cheese. Bring to a simmer for 4-5 minutes to let everything heat through and to allow Parmesan cheese to melt.

Using an immersion hand blender, puree soup until it is smooth. (Or you could use a regular blender, working in small batches --always be careful when using a blender with hot liquids.)

Add salt to taste. Serve with cubes of toasted baguette bread and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan.


**notes: I used two jars of peppers that were 12-oz each. I have also seen larger jars in the store that are between 25-28 oz each. Use what you find, or what's on sale! Also, I would add salt last, and a bit at a time. The amount you need to add will depend on the broth you use (some have more salt added than others) and the Parmesan cheese.

Sauteed Green Beans and Garlic

This is my new favorite side dish for week night meals. It's quick to whip up, but looks and tastes like you put some thought into it. You can easily adjust the size of this recipe - I'd say for each two to three servings added, include an additional garlic clove. If you're not a garlic fan, use just one clove. If you LOVE garlic you're on your own. Just be sure and have some mints handy after dinner.

I have to add a disclaimer on my photo. The night I photographed these beans, I had let the pan get a little too hot and the garlic is a little too brown. You get the idea though.



Sauteed Green Beans and Garlic

fresh green beans (enough for 4 people), ends trimmed
2 garlic cloves (3 if small), minced
about 1 tsp olive oil
salt & pepper

Trim the ends of the beans. Fill a medium to large sized pot with water and bring to a boil. Toss in beans and continue to boil for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and add oil. Drain green beans and add to skillet. Toss for 1-2 minutes, add salt, pepper and garlic. Continue to toss for another minute, watching garlic so it doesn't burn. Remove from heat and serve.