Mixed Bean Salad

This week I paged through my Jerusalem cookbook for some inspirations, and landed on this lovely yellow and green bean salad that includes lots of garden herbs and capers. It was delicious and would make a really great salad to bring to some kind of potluck event because in addition to being tasty and herbacious, it looks really good and is best served at room temp. 

My general go-to for green beans is to steam them, coat them in butter, salt and nutritional yeast, and eat. This was a bit fussier, which I found pleasant. My mom sat at the table and prepared the herbs and green beans while I chopped the peppers, dried the capers, and boiled the beans for the appropriate number of minutes before "refreshing" them in ice water. (My mom is also working on a puzzle, which you can see in the corner of the photo. These are good activities for someone who cannot put weight on one leg and is currently confined to my 600 square foot house due to stairs at each door!)

Bean salad along with open faced BLT on my tiny pieces of Teff sourdough toast!

I followed this recipe pretty closely, except the following: I did not want to turn on the oven, so rather than roast the red peppers I sauteed them on the stove top; I used my garden peppers, which were 2 banana peppers and 1 mini red pepper that was a bit spicy; I did not have green onions and instead dug up green onion too-big bulbs from the garden and chopped those up. :)

Serves 4

• 10 oz yellow beans, trimmed (if unavailable, double the green bean amt)
• 10 oz green beans, trimmed
• 2 red peppers cut into 1/4" strips
• 3 T olive oil, plus 1 tsp for the peppers
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
• 6 T capers, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 c tarragon, coarsely chopped
• 2/3 c chervil leaves, or a mix of dill and parsley (I had the latter)
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pan with plenty of water to a boil and add the yellow beans. After 1 minute add the green beans and cook another 4 minutes, until cooked through but still crunchy. Refresh under ice-cold water, drain, pat dry, and place in a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, toss the peppers in 1 tsp olive oil and saute on a cast iron skillet until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the cooked beans.

Heat the 3 T olive oil in the skillet, or a small saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds; add the capers and fry another 15 seconds. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and fry another 15 seconds. The garlic should have turned golden by now. (If, like me, you used a cast iron, these times are too short and the garlic is not yet golden. That took a lot longer.) Remove from the heat and pour contents over the beans. Toss and add the onions, herbs, lemon zest, a 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper. Serve, or keep refrigerated for up to a day. Bring back to room temp before serving.

Garden Bounty - Brussel Sprout leaves, pesto, and berries

The garden is in full swing: the zucchini and cucumbers are flowering, the green beans and arugula are carrying on, the blueberries and black raspberries are winding down, and I just ate the last snap peas. Everything else is just getting a LOT bigger and greener. Due to the growth and increasing plant size, I am thinning out a bunch of greens and plants to give more space. This is sometimes hard for me because I seem to get a little hoard-like and want all of the plants to stay and keep growing, but I am learning that more space = bigger and happier plants.

So, thinning it is: kale and beet plants, but had not thought about eating the brussel sprout plants. My Charming Companion sent me this post about the tastiness of brussel sprout leaves though, and we made a big pile of them last weekend. They are a little like super tender collards - you only need to saute them for a minute or two and they are delicious. Here they are all piled up ready to slice.

They got cooked outside on the outdoor rocket stove for a leisurely outdoor breakfast and tea. Here is My Charming Companion adding the tiny kindling sticks to heat the tea.

The sprout leaves were really nice sauteed in a little olive oil with some salt. Super simple.

A couple of other weekend meal highlights included unearthing some frozen pesto from 2011 (time to eat that up before we process more for the freezer!) and putting it on steamed green beans. Omg. I could have eaten this all weekend and still wanted more. Pesto! It's so good. I think this was even a vegan version with no cheese in there. Just steam the green beans until tender (3-5 minutes), remove from heat and stir in the pesto. These were a new pole bean variety that were super long and thin and tasty.

The nasturtiums are also looking really pretty, and I throw them in all my salads. This one included an early cucumber, the last snap peas, tons of fresh basil and parsley (think equal part fresh herbs to arugula), and a mini carrot that was all red on the outside and orange in the middle. You can't see it, but it matched the nasturtiums! This salad got a dressing with some of the aforementioned pesto (mixed with olive oil and a little vinegar) because I really just wanted to keep eating pesto. It turns out the pesto makes a great dressing, and I especially recommend it with lots of fresh basil in the salad too.

Another "omg I am going to die this is so delicious" menu item from the garden was berries with toasted coconut and toasted almonds. Sometimes I take shortcuts and don't toast coconut flakes. No more. Just stick the flakes under the broiler for about 2 minutes (keep an eye on them because it goes really fast) and watch them turn a nice toasty brown and taste how the flavor sky rockets. With the almonds and fresh berries, covered with coconut milk and a little vanilla, this was amazing. Like cereal, like dessert, like a bowl of goodness.

Green Bean and Tomato Khoresh

I've been reading (and photo gazing) The Taste of Persia - a cookbook that is subtitled as an introduction to Persian cooking. I pulled it out originally to look at the kebab recipes, but got sidetracked by some of the khoresh dishes. Khoresh is basically a stew - though more delicate than a beef and potato kind of thing - with lots of butter or ghee, and often spiced with cinnamon or fruit, saffron and lime. The one I tried first is this green bean and tomato recipe, largely due to recently finding a bag of garden green beans from two years ago in my freezer. I also had a bunch of garden tomatoes that I stuck in the freezer last summer, so I used those in lieu of tomato puree. The flavor turned out really nice - sort of citrus-y and warm, and sweet from the tomatoes.

The recipe is for one pound of meat, but if you are not going to eat this with rice, I would add in extra to bulk it out a bit more. I used venison, and let the meat stew a bit longer to tenderize the meat and bring out more flavor. (If you use chicken, go for just the 30 minute simmer so the chicken does not overcook and get tough.) Because I was simmering it longer, I also kept the green beans out until the last 20 minutes - just so they wouldn't get too soft. I wished I had made a double batch for more leftovers because it made a great meal to bring to work.

Green Bean and Tomato Khoresh
5 T butter or ghee
1 lb fresh/frozen green beans, cut into 2" pieces
2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken leg or meat (beef, venison, lamb) cut into thin strips
1 t salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t turmeric
1 T tomato paste
3 1/2 c fresh/canned pureed tomatoes
2 T fresh lime juice
1/2 t ground saffron threads, dissolved in 2 T hot water (opt)

1. In large skillet heat 2 T butter/ghee over medium heat. Add the green beans and stir fry 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In medium pot, heat 3 T butter/ghee over medium heat. Add the onion and stir fry 5 minutes until translucent. Add teh garlic and chicken/meat and stir fry 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt, pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric and stir fry another minute.
3. Add green beans, tomatoes/puree and paste, lime juice, and saffron water to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Taste the khoresh and adjust seasonings for salt and lime juice. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

Paleo Bibimbap

You know that really tasty cucumber noodle recipe I posted last month? I've been making it fairly non-stop ever since, especially eating it with bibimbap.  Bibimbap is a korean dish that is traditionally rice with a variety of vegetable dishes and meat all together in a bowl, with an egg on top. I have been having a version of that dish pretty much every week - sometimes twice. It's a meal that can use whatever you've got around, which makes it an easy weeknight dinner...or breakfast. Or lunch.

Though you can use whatever veggies you want, I recommend that for the paleo version you DO use the sesame cucumber noodles, since it provides a sort of base/extra flavor for all the other veggies. It sort of takes the place of the rice in that way - tying everything else together.

Here are some recommended veggies for my version of Paleo Bibimbap (serves 2) - primarily selected because they grow in my garden. But see other options and inspirations here (includes more precise measurements than I use) and here.

• Cold Sesame (cucumber) noodles
• Sliced Zucchini - Use a mandoline or sharp knife to thinly slice 1 smallish zucchini. Salt with 1 tsp salt and let sit in a colander over a bowl for 30 minutes. Squeeze and pat slices dry. Splash with olive oil and stir to mix.
• Julienne carrots - Cut 2 smallish carrots to matchsticks. Flash cook them in a pot of bowling water for about a minute. Remove from hot water, rinse briefly to cool. Season with salt.
• Sauteed greens (or red cabbage) - Grab a handful of kale or collards or mustard greens, roll up and thinly slice. Saute in coconut/olive oil with a little water for several minutes, until greens are wilted and bright. Season with tamari, olive oil, sesame oil, and vinegar.
• Seared green beans: Saute green beans in oil/fat for a few minutes, letting them brown on the pan over high heat before stirring. Sprinkle with some pepper flakes and sesame oil.
• Kimchi
• Meat (optional): Any thinly sliced leftover steak/pork would be great, or bacon is good too.
• 2 Fried or poached eggs
• Toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onion or chives (optional)
• Sriracha (is my cop out - the sauce can be made from the above inspiration links)

To assemble your dish: Each ingredient is dished between two large bowls. I generally put the big pile of cucumber noodles (which will be the largest quantity ingredient) in the center, with all of the other veggies/meat piled around it. Top the whole thing with the egg, and then sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onion or chives. Serve with sriracha. YUM!

Breakfast Veggie Pile-up

The garden is in full swing with green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, and various other greens. Exciting! I've been eating lots of veggies for breakfast lately - always in the form of some sauteed veggie medley topped with either fried or scrambled eggs. It feels really decadent to eat so many vegetables for breakfast, and it is surprisingly easy. And you can use just about anything. I always make the veggie mix on my fave cast iron skillet, starting with the onions and slower cooking veggies, and adding in whatever else I am using so it all finishes about the same time. Then I dump the veggies onto my plate, put a little ghee in the pan, and cook up a few eggs to go on top.

This one was beets (from my co-worker's CSA), red cabbage, onion, and a little bit of sweet potato and bacon. I put a little homemade mustard in with the veggies too.

Greenery! There is zucchini, green beans, onions, basil, and kale in this one - everything was from the garden but the onions. I cooked some basil in with the scrambled eggs too, and put a little lemon juice on the greens while they cooked.

This photo got my breakfast table in addition to my plate - ah well.  This one was zucchini, bacon, onion, green beans, chives, and a leafy green called Tyfon Holland greens from the garden. They cook down pretty small (like spinach)- and are super good to throw in just about anything.

Dilly Beans

From the fermentation chronicles because, hey, why stop with pickles?


What you need:
Enough beans to fill your chosen vessel
salt
whey (if you're into it)
jalapeno (again, if that's your jam)
garlic, mustard seeds, onion, pepper, and whatever other spices you want to add (but stick with whole spices as powders can get slimy)
Bruce Springsteen album (I like The River, but Born in the USA will do in a pinch)

What you do:
Cook the beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, until they turn bright green (or bright yellowish white, I guess). Drain and cool in a bowl with ice and water. Pack them into your vessel, along with your other spices, peppers, etc. Mix a 3.6% brine solution (1T salt per 2 C water) and pour it into your vessel. Add your whey (I'm just guessing here, but I threw in about 1T per cup of water) if you want. Put the lid on and shake it up a bit. Check the beans to make sure they're still submerged in the brine. Let the jar sit on your counter, releasing the pressure every now and again, until they're satisfactorily tasty (about a week). Throw them in the fridge where they will continue to ferment, albeit much more slowly.

Warm summer salad

This salad recipe (like Andrea's recent post!) features some of the best summer veggies: zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and corn. This salad was inspired by a similar dish my friend Kate made for me many years ago. I was impressed by how simple and flavorful it was - the fresh veggies just showcase themselves! The amount of each ingredient is not as important as the way it is prepared - I gave an estimate, but consider it very flexible.


Summer Salad, serves 4-6
One ball fresh mozzarella (optional, mild feta might also be nice)
1-2 c. cooked wild rice
2 med. zucchini
2 med. cucumbers (or 4 pickling ones, in my case)
2 ears of corn
1+ c. tomatoes, diced
2 big handfuls of green beans
fresh herb (basil or rosemary)

First dice the mozzarella, tomatoes and cucumbers and put in a large bowl with the wild rice. Add any chopped herbs.

Prep the rest of the veggies: shuck corn; trim the green beans and cut into 1-2" pieces; quarter zucchini the long way (making 4 spears), cut each spear at an angle - turning the spear 1/4 turn at each cut (this will give each piece multiple flat edges that will sear in the pan).


Using whatever steam method you use, put water on to boil for corn and green beans. When it is boiling, put corn in the steamer basket for 4 minutes, and remove. Put green beans in the basket and steam for 5 minutes, then remove. Cut corn off of cob and mix both corn and beans into the salad.


While water is heating in steamer, heat a dry cast iron pan on med-high for zucchini. In a small bowl, drizzle zucchini with olive oil and salt; toss well to coat. Once cast iron is hot, put zucchini on pan to sear in a single layer (let it sit a minute, it won't sear if you move the pieces around too fast), then toss or flip pieces to sear other edges. Add zucchini to salad and toss all ingredients well. Pour dressing over the top, and serve immediately to get a nice blend of cool and warm ingredients.

dressing:
1 part honey
1 part olive oil
1 part balsamic
stone ground mustard
salt

Potato, Green Bean and Tomato Salad

This potato salad is the best of summer. Red potatoes from the CSA, beans and basil from the farmer's market, and sun gold cherry tomatoes from the garden.

2 lbs small red potatoes, quartered
1/4 lb green beans, halved
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Vinaigrette:
Blend 2 T. champagne vinegar, 4 T. olive oil, 1/4 cup (or more) chopped basil, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 t. salt

Steam potatoes until just tender, adding beans to blanch for the last minute or two of steaming. Put potatoes, beans and tomatoes in a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette.

green bean and potato salad.

My mom's husband has to have a potato at every meal. And, let's admit it, I love a potato as much as the next person. So, when I was charged with making a side dish for dinner at my mom's house, I searched the well-loved Smitten Kitchen for something fun and fresh and delicious; to liven up the potato as side dish. I settled on the Arugula, Potato, and Green Bean Salad with Creamy Walnut Dressing, with a few modifications based on what we had on hand. You can link to Smitten Kitchen's post in the title.

Here are the modifications I made:

-I used romaine and baby greens in place of arugula, but next time I will make the effort to get arugula because I think the peppery flavor would be really delicious with the rest of the ingredients.

-I used olive oil and a little bit of truffle oil in place of walnut oil because we didn't have any. someday, I will plan ahead and get all the ingredients for a recipe, but usually I end up having to substitute at least one thing and I've averted disaster so far.

So, that's how I made it. It was easy and delicious and it pleased everyone, including the potato purist who used to hate eating anything green until he started growing his own vegetables. So, I'll call it a success. Smitten Kitchen comes through once again.

Pesto omelette and beans

An omelette is a good food choice on days when you get up a little later than you meant to and decide to have an early lunch to go with your morning coffee. Also, an omelette is a good choice for using up leftovers. This is one my sweetie made for me-- it's got tomatoes and mushrooms from the kabobs I made a few days earlier and pesto we froze from our garden last fall. He served it with a side of beans which I pretty much ask to have with every meal. These are sauteed in garlic and butter but you could use olive oil if you prefer. The beans are from our garden and are a kind of purple bean called Royal Burgundy Beans that turns green when you cook them. Their purple color makes them easy to see in the garden when you pick them and I'd grow them again next year just because they're pretty. Our favorite bean, two years in a row now is the skinny green bean in this picture. I saved the packet and wrote "Jamie's Favorite" on it so I remember to order more. They're called Tavera and they seem to stay delicious a little while longer. This is nice because as much as I'd like to I can't go out and pick beans every morning.