Green Curry Stir Fry with Cashews

Looking for a new way to use fresh green beans? This was delicious: spicy, creamy, sweet, and easy to throw together after a long day at work. My version is based on a recipe found in Vegetarian Times magazine. I think next time I make this I will double the curry sauce – it’s that good.  Makes two large servings.... and by large I mean we stuffed our faces. 

Here’s what you need:

1 T peanut oil

½ C thinly sliced onions

12 oz sliced mushrooms

1 t minced garlic

1 T minced fresh ginger

½ pound fresh green beans, cut into thirds

½ C golden raisins

1/3 C canned full-fat coconut milk

2 T green curry paste

1 T lemon juice

1 T soy sauce

½ C roasted salted cashews

¼ C chopped cilantro

Here’s what you do:

Sauté the onions and mushrooms in the oil, until the mushrooms are brown and the onions are soft. Stir in the garlic, green beans and raisins and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until beans are fork tender.

Whisk together the coconut milk, curry paste, lemon juice and soy sauce. Pour over the green bean mixture and lower the heat. Simmer until thick – about 2 minutes.

Garnish with cashews and cilantro. Serve over rice.

Goddess Nicoise – Isa Chandra

Well, I ended up actually seeing a Snowy Owl the other day – he was just sitting there, looking right down at me. No need to mention that I spent an hour searching for him, drove down every single muddy country road in the county and ended up half-way down some farmer’s driveway just so I could get this photo. Admit it – it was worth it! Isn’t he great?

Mr. Living Cookbook (aka Tim) also spotted some of these gorgeous birds and his photos are spectacular – so I must share them also.

I think spring might be just around the corner *FINALLY* here in West Michigan, so I bet the Snowy Owls will head up north soon.

Warmer weather (that means in the 20s and 30s folks) means my taste buds crave salads. This one comes from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra. She does all things well. The dressing is excellent and can be drizzled on all kinds of stuff.  

Here’s what you need:

16 oz chick peas, drained and rinsed

½ pound of small red potatoes, quartered and steamed until fork tender

½ pound of fresh green beans, stems removes and steamed until fork tender (did you know you can steam the potatoes and beans in the same pot? Start the potatoes first and add the beans when the potatoes are almost done. )

Red onion – sliced super thin to taste (I think I left these out – not a huge raw onion fan)

1/3 C good black Greek olives, pitted – whole or sliced in half

8 C leaf or romaine lettuce

1 C cherry tomatoes

Green Goddess Garlic Dressing

2 average size garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 C fresh chives, cut in 1 inch pieces

1/2 C  fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

2 T tahini

2 T nutritional yeast

1 T white miso

1/3 C water

2 T lemon juice

Arrange the salad on a large platter. Blend dressing ingredients until smooth in a high speed blender or food processor. Drizzle dressing liberally over veg.

Note: Isa likes to smash the chick peas, but I prefer them whole. Isa likes to add capers, but I can’t stand them. Isa also likes more garlic, but I refrain from too much raw garlic. 

Aunt Bebe’s Bean Bowl

May I introduce Cabby?

I want to introduce you to the newest member of our family. Tell me you don’t just love that little smile! My nephew found her running near a freeway in Detroit, picked her up and convinced my sister to take care of her. No luck finding her owners and not able to find a willing taker, little puppy needed a permanent home. So now we have a new little addition to our family! I love her! She’s a tiny bear…grrrrr! 

I keep wondering if adding a puppy to our home just as my last child is getting ready to graduate from high school and move off to college is so obviously an attempt to avoid the ‘empty nest’ feeling….. maybe there’s a doctor out there who can enlighten?  Feel free to leave comments.

Speaking of empty nest….here’s my kind of comfort food. I made this for a church potluck recently. I guess it’s better in the summer with fresh beans, but it’s pretty darn good in the middle of the winter too.

Here’s what you need:

1 can green beans

1 can wax beans

1 can dark kidney beans

1 can lima beans

1 can chick peas

1 medium red onion, sliced very, very thin

1/3 C sugar

1 t salt

½ t pepper

1/3 C red wine vinegar

1/3 C salad oil

Here’s what you do:

Drain and rinse the beans. Mix the sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the oil. Pour the dressing over the beans and onions, making sure the onions get down in the dressing so they can pickle just a bit. Allow to marinate overnight. Serve.

(printable recipe)

Mickey Mouse Salad: VeganMoFo Post # 8

I'm a Veganwannabe: Post # 8

I couldn’t resist posting this silly picture. Look at that cute potato! Here's the recipe (minus the egg, of course - I promised I wouldn't mention an egg this month.) 

 My vegan journey has been going really well so far. I feel great!  Somehow, I feel lighter, although I don’t think I have lost any weight. That’s probably because I eat so darn much….and our food lately has been great. Tim is enjoying the new diet as well. What a blessing to have a husband who will eat whatever I place in front of him! One day I will have to tell you the hilarious story of a girlfriend I had when I was first married. Her husband would ONLY eat meat and potatoes….literally…. she would fry him a steak for breakfast and the like….can you imagine the monotony!

Anyway, I bought these delicious new potatoes used in this yummy salad from a tiny roadside stand last month. Tim and I were following our son on his bike – see him over there on the other side of the road? Robert had signed up for a 20 mile bike rally only to find out that he was the only one participating in his age group – a ‘Rally of One’….and super discouraging! To help encourage him, Tim and I ended up trailing him all over the county. Turned out to be one of those great family events….plus, I found this great farmers stand.

It's all about family, right? 

Next post: Mushroom and Spinach Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Crema - serious vegan stuff folks! 

Swiss Green Beans

The last weekend of summer is upon us. This calls for family get-togethers, back yard BBQS, farewell trips to the beach, and back to school! I have always loved the beginning of September because it means I go back to the classroom and dig in for another year of teaching. I love to cook and I love to play my instruments, but teaching is my life’s calling – it’s where I feel most at home.

If you are planning a weekend picnic, this is the perfect salad. Straight from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks (The Enchanted Broccoli Forest). It’s perfect in every way and always gets RAVE reviews. I know at first glance the ingredients don’t seem to ‘match,’ but trust me, they’re excellent!

Here’s what you need:

1 ½ lbs fresh green beans, cleaned and trimmed

2 large cloves garlic, minced

¼ C extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp dried dill

Black pepper to taste

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3-4 T fresh lemon juice

1 T red wine vinegar

½ C fresh parsley, minced

1/3 lb swiss cheese, cut in thin strips

½ C chopped ripe olives – use a great quality olive; avoid using the canned stuff

1 small green pepper cut in thin strips

1 small red pepper cut in thin strips

½ C chopped or slivered, toasted almonds

Here’s what you do:

Blanch the green beans until tender-crisp. Cool them under cold water. Slice the cheese and veggies. Prepare the dressing by whisking everything together…. The original recipe calls for adding the vinegar and lemon juice at the last minute to keep the beans nice and green and crisp. I know that’s probably the best way to prepare this salad, but I just mix it all together and it turns out great every time.

Happy Labor Day to my American friends, and happy back to school to all those teachers, parents and students out there! 

Salad Nicoise: minus the tuna

Can you imagine a prettier salad? 

Believe me, it tasted as great as it looks!

 Perfect for a light summer dinner.

This one is definitely in the rotation!
I could eat this every day. No kidding! 

(See Taste of Home, April/May 2012 for original recipe)

Here’s what you need:

1/3 C olive oil

¼ C lemon juice

1 t dried oregano

1 t dried thyme

1 t Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

Salt, pepper to taste

2 T water

Small red potatoes

Fresh asparagus

Fresh green beans

Dark red kidney beans

Bib lettuce or other soft leaf lettuce

Hard boiled eggs, quartered

Marinated artichoke hearts - drained

Best quality Kalamata or Nicoise olives

Here’s what you do:

Prepare the lovely dressing by whisking the lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, herbs, and olive oil. The best way to deal with the raw garlic is to peel the clove and grate it on a fine rasp. Just make sure it is minced or grated as finely as possible. Add water to taste, making sure the dressing is not too heavy or oily. I like mine a bit thinner and I find that by loosening the dressing just a bit with some water, I get the perfect consistency.

Boil the eggs. Cool completely and cut in pretty quarters.

Quarter and boil the potatoes until fork tender. While still warm, pour some dressing over them. The warm potatoes will absorb all the tangy goodness and increase in taste.  The potatoes taste much better if they are never refrigerated – keep them at room temperature.

Steam the beans and asparagus. I do mine in the same steamer, being careful not to overcook the asparagus. Cool under cold running water. Drizzle some dressing over the steamed beans and asparagus.

Drain and rinse the kidney beans. Drizzle some dressing over the beans.

Arrange the lettuce on a large serving platter. Drizzle some dressing over the lettuce. Arrange the remaining salad components around the platter – drizzling dressing over all.

(printable recipe)

One Year Ago: A Trio of Tasty Tidbits (my 100th post!)

Broiled Green Beans

(I have shared this recipe on a Green Day Link-Up at Raindrops and Daisies. Check out the other green photos here!)

Yes, you read that correctly – BROILED green beans. My new favorite thing and considering that I am the queen of ROASTING, that says a lot. Blistered. Salty. Lemony. Dippable. Finger food at its finest.  Irresistible.

Wash, trim, dry, toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill. Place under broiler for about 1-2 minutes at a time, tossing at one minute intervals….continue for about 8 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp.