Grilled Green Beans

I recently saw this recipe in my Facebook news feed.  We eat a lot of green beans, and although they are delicious steamed with some butter and garlic, this sounded like a lovely summer variation.

The beans have a caramelized flavor that is almost sweet.  And the recipe is super simple.  It is written for one serving, so you can easily multiply for your family or for a crowd.

We ate them with grilled steaks and baked potatoes with sour cream and fresh chives.

Click here for the link to the original recipe on Myfridgefood.com.

Grilled Green Beans

8 oz fresh green beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice (I used fresh squeezed)
1 tsp garlic powder (this seemed like a lot but it was perfect!)
1/2 tsp salt (optional, I used a generous pinch)
pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients except cheese in a large Ziploc bag.  Let marinate for 10 minutes.

Grill over medium heat, turning often until crisp tender, about 10 minutes.  We used to have a grill pan but apparently it did not move to our new house with us.  Fortunately we had a box of disposable grill sheets instead.  It would be impossible to grill these on the grate without losing them!

Remove beans from grill and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Taco Cornbread Casserole

A few weeks ago I joined a pyrex group on facebook and one of the popular things is to show "pyrex in action" in meal prep or with a finished casserole.  Earlier this week I saw this dish and while nobody included a linked recipe, they did say how they made it (as a side note, I must remember to save things like this so I don't spend an hour hunting for the post to find said directions).  So this is how I made it, although you can add tomatoes to the taco meat mixture if you want.

Ingredients:
1 pound or so of ground beef
1 packet of taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup water (per packet)
1 onion
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup of shredded taco cheese
1 package of corn bread/muffin mix (the small Jiffy type)
1 egg (per box)
1/3 cup milk (per box)
shredded cheese
part of can of green chilies

Cook ground beef, adding onion as it cooks, drain and add the taco seasoning mix and water and cook as per the packet.  While it simmers, mix corn bread, adding green chilies (I didn't want to overwhelm the dish so I only used part of the can, you may wish to add the whole can or none) and approximately a handful of cheese.  Add the black beans, corn, and cup of shredded cheese to the taco meat.  Place taco meat in a 2 qt / 8x8 size dish, spread cornbread evenly over top.  Cook in preheated oven according to the cornbread directions.  Serve on a bread of lettuce with sour cream and more shredded cheese on top as desired.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Cannellini Beans

I watched Rachael Ray make this on her talk show yesterday morning and except for the bread, was nicely within our diet.  I picked up chicken thighs with the skin and the bone because I wasn't paying attention.  When I went back to the store today, I couldn't find any boneless, skinless thighs.  Now that I've made it, as lovely as the thigh meat is, I would recommend substituting breasts if you can't get the boneless.  It's not easy to eat with the bone, and quite messy!  I copied the instructions as they were, but I would highly recommend you prep the veggies first before you season and wrap the chicken.  Otherwise, a tasty recipe that I'd make again.  Oh, and we don't really care for spicy, so I left out the chili pepper.

Ingredients

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped

• 8 slices prosciutto di Parma or speck (smoky ham)

• 3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 small chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped

• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 2 cups passata or tomato purée

• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained

• A few leaves of basil, torn

• Crusty bread for mopping

Yields: 4

Preparation
Season chicken with salt and pepper and lots of rosemary. Wrap each piece of chicken in a slice of prosciutto or speck. Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a Dutch oven or deep skillet. Brown the chicken pieces 3 minutes on each side or until ham is crisp; remove to a plate. To the same pan add remaining EVOO, a turn of the pan, celery, carrot, onion, chili and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook partially covered until soft, stirring frequently 10-12 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute then add wine, stock, tomato purée, beans and basil. Set chicken back into pan and simmer 10 minutes more.Serve with crusty bread for mopping.

Kidney Bean Tuna Salad

I found this recipe to go with our diet.  It's easy to put together after a busy day, which is a lovely bonus.  Also, the red onion flavor isn't overpowering (good for me) and the olives aren't overly noticeable either (good for the boyfriend).  I skipped the cilantro and used tuna in oil.

Ingredients

• 1 can kidney beans Rinsed and drained
• 1 can tuna 6 oz
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 3 tablespoons sliced ripe olves
• 2 tablespoons red onion finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro minced

DRESSING

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper

Directions

Ina a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, lemon juice,garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Pour over tuna mixture and toss lightly. Serve on a bed of lettuce if desired.

Beef and Black Bean Chili

This chili recipe is VERY different!  It has cinnamon, honey, and lime juice in it, which creates a very unique taste from your traditional chili recipe.

I'm going to post the recipe exactly as written.  But I am going to tweak it next time I make it.  I would back off on the cinnamon a bit, perhaps by half.  I would also cut the beef in half, add another can of black beans and a can of diced tomatoes.  I might also increase the chili powder.  I don't like cumin, so I skipped that.

The recipe comes from the October 2011 issue of Relish.

Beef and Black Bean Chili

3 tsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 tsp coarse salt
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 28 ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained (I used plain because I couldn't find fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, only fire-roasted diced tomatoes and I didn't want to bother with the food processor)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp honey
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in heavy Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add beef and brown, breaking up meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a bowl.  Sprinkle with salt, set aside.

Drain liquid from pan and add the remaining oil.  Add onion and saute until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes,  Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.  Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano and cinnamon.  Cook 1 minute.

Add chicken broth, water, beef, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and honey.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 hour, stirring ocassionally.

Add beans and lime juice and cook 5 minutes.  Serve with sour cream, sliced avocado, or shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

Green Bean and Potato Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

When I made this, I thought it was good....but it was missing something.  I had skipped the tarragon because I've never used it before and I didn't have any.  The next day I thought, "What about some dill?"  I added that to the leftovers and it became delicious!

Next time, I might bake the potatoes in olive oil and rosemary, rather than boil them like a traditional potato salad.  I think it might add some carmelized taste to it, which would just increase the yumminess.

This recipe comes from the August 2011 issue of Cuisine at Home.

Green Bean and Potato Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp minced shallots (I used onion)
2 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Salad

3 lbs red or yellow new potatoes, cut into 1 inch wedges
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed, halved crosswise*
6 strips of bacon, diced
1/2 cup chopped scallions
2 Tbsp minced fresh tarragon

Whisk all ingredients for vinaigrette in a small bowl and set aside.

Cover potatoes with salted water and bring to a boil.  Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.   Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Pour 3/4 cup of vinaigrette over warm potatoes.  Let cool 20-30 minutes.

Boil beans in same water until tender, 3-4 minutes.  Drain.  Transfer beans to a large bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette.  Set aside to cook 20-30 minutes.

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Gently stir potatoes, scallions, tarragon and remaining 1/4 cup vinaigrette into beans.  Season salad with salt and pepper and top with bacon.

*  "Halving them crosswise" would add a ridiculous amount of time to this recipe!  I just snapped them in half when I was trimming them.

Green Bean Casserole

Never Enough Green Bean Casserole
from Allrecipes.com

We had ham steaks with pineapple as the entree tonight, and the green bean casserole as the side. The ham was grilled on the combination grill / panini press, as was the pineapple for a few seconds.



Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

3 ounces processed cheese (i.e. Velveeta®), cubed

1 tablespoon real bacon bits

1 (4 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

2 (15 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained

1 (2.8 ounce) can French-fried onions

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.	Heat the undiluted cream of mushroom soup in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the processed cheese and bacon, and continue stirring until completely melted. Remove from the heat, stir in the mushrooms, then the green beans until evenly coated. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish, and top with the fried onions, leaving a 1 inch margin around the sides.
3.	Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and bubbly. Check near the end of cooking to make sure the onions aren't getting too brown.