Haricot Verts with Dijon Mascarpone and Lemon

Here's a delicious way to serve up green beans,  either the slender Haricot Verts, or any kind of string beans.   Regular string beans will take just a minute or two more to cook,  but the flavor will be just as pleasing.
I first saw this recipe from renown Michelin-Starred Chef Michael Mina  on Cook Taste Eat
The original recipe used horseradish (from the jar) to flavor the creamy, rich mascarpone ~ but since one in our house doesn't  care for the flavor of horseradish, I improvised and substituted Dijon mustard instead.  I'm thinking this would also be fabulous with whole grain mustard as well.
The flavored mascarpone is as rich as butter, but has more substance. Instead of pooling at the bottom of your plate as butter seems to do ~ it clings beautifully to the hot beans, enrobing each one with it's tangy richness. Fine shreds of lemon zest add another high note to this yummy combination. 



This one received solid thumbs up ~ I would definitely consider this for a holiday side dish... (and I admit I've made a  lunch of a plate of these.)  :D



If you give this way of preparing string beans a try,  I hope you'll love it as much as I do.
Click here for a printable copy of the recipe ~ and thank you for stopping by today and for leaving me a comment!
Wishing you a good week ahead. Blessings,  ~mari

3 Harvest-Time Soups ~ They're Penny Pinchers!

 The inspiration for these harvest-time soups is simple ~

I hate wasting food.

Among other things we grew green beans and squash this summer, and as often happens,  I usually run out of ideas of interesting ways to prepare our harvest before the gardens have given us their all for the season.

These simple soups to the rescue ~ 

The preparation method is the same for all three; the variable between them is the vegetable, and herbs you choose.  

As you can see, few ingredients are required, and you can enjoy a delicious, comforting, low-fat cup or bowl of goodness in no time.  The added bonus is they are a penny pincher's dream!

The ingredients you'll need are as follows:

A white or yellow onion (which I forgot to photograph!)
If you happen to have a sweet onion variety ~ those play especially well with the mild summer squash . . . adding just a hint of natural sweetness.



The vegetable of choice; I chose yellow crook-neck squash-- these from our neighbors (thank you J & P!), carrots from the farmer's market, green beans and herbs from our gardens.  (You can use dried herbs if you don't have fresh.)

Low sodium chicken stock/broth (homemade or store-bought), a little oil and salt & pepper.

Crookneck Squash & Tarragon

The method couldn't be more simple ~ saute the chopped onion in a little oil in a pot until translucent but not browned, add the chopped/sliced vegetable of choice, a bay leaf and pour in enough chicken stock/broth to just cover the vegetables. (If you choose to use dried herbs, add them now.) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer with the pot partially covered. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, adding more stock if it begins to boil away too quickly.  Add the herbs of choice a few minutes before the veggies are fully cooked.

Use a blender, food processor or immersion blender to achieve the silky smooth consistency, adding more broth if necessary. Return the soup to the pot to heat through, taste and adjust seasonings.*  Serve up and garnish as desired.

The herbs I used were as follows ~Crookneck squash - Tarragon (a little goes a long way),  Green Beans - Oregano (and garnished with a sprig of lavender),  Carrot - Dill (and garnished with a toasted pecan.) Ground cumin works well with carrots too.  Just choose any herb you think would complement the vegetable you're using.

Carrot & Dill

Green Bean & Oregano

Healthy, delicious, and very budget friendly!  You can also use spinach, chard, zucchini, potatoes (peeled), tomatoes (peeled), most any root vegetable, etc. The key to the smooth texture of this soup is to cook any vegetable you choose until very, very tender to achieve the best results.


*Of course, if you're feeling flush you can add a spoonful of butter and some light or heavy cream to the vegetables while you're blending them, that's up to you! 




Thanks for stopping by to visit today, I love to read your comments!  


See you next time! xo~m. 




This is my entry for Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum.

Green Bean and Roasted Cherry Tomato Salad

Green beans are in season, the basil plants are going crazy, and we're nearly overrun with tomatoes-- particularly cherry tomatoes right now.




So it's not difficult to deduce what inspired this dish. I combined a couple of other recipes to come up with this one ~ it's one of the treasures of my collection.

If you've grown weary of eating the tomatoes right from the vine at this time of year it is a welcome change to roast or saute them in a little olive oil with a sprinkle of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper to intensify the sugars in the fruit.

To me they are the star of this this delicious salad or side dish ~

it's worth the bit of effort it takes to cut each in half before roasting.

I use to roast tomatoes (and some vegetables) in a very hot oven, but as I've become more aware of the health risks of that practice I've returned to lower temperatures for slow-roasting.

And even if you don't subscribe to that concept, you may agree with me that it's a waste to destroy the vitamins and flavor of extra virgin olive oil with high heat, so this is how I prepare these slow-roasted cherry tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 225* (F), or convection oven equivalent. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper, then prepare the tomatoes: Rinse them, remove the stems then cut them in half through the axis, from stem to blossom end. Arrange the cut tomatoes skin-side-down on the parchment line pan. Sprinkle with sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper if desired. Then drizzle a couple of tablespoons of extra-virgin over all, distributing over tomatoes as evenly as possible.

Place on a center rack of the oven and allow to slowly roast for two to two and and half hours.

I rotate the pan once during the roasting time.

This is what you end up with:

Still moist, but slightly chewy, toothsome little buttons of sweet and slightly salty goodness.

While the tomatoes are roasting I toast the pine nuts (or other nuts) either stove top or in the oven. This recipe adapts well to almost any other favorite nut -- walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, etc.

And I whisk (or shake in a jar) the very slightly sweet rough-mustard vinaigrette --- I adore this particular recipe for mustard vinaigrette. A bonus recipe, it's fabulous on grilled or broiled chicken or fish, too.

You can either blanch or steam the green beans ~ but to retain the bright green color don't over-cook, and immediately plunge the cooked beans into a big bowl of ice water as soon as you remove them from the heat. This stops the cooking, then allow the beans to completely cool in the ice water. Drain well as soon as they have cooled.

The components can be made/prepared ahead, then assembled just prior to serving.

The dish is "okay" cold, but I much prefer , at room temperature. To avoid discoloration and vibrant flavors, serve it at it's optimum peak of freshness, do not add the basil or dressing until the very last moment before serving. I don't toss, but I prefer to pass the dressing separately, so each can add as much or as little as desired.

I love this dish!

Back to edit:

Gigi has a great question, which I meant to address when I first posted ~As to whether any leftover roasted cherry tomatoes can be stored to use later...

Yes, by all means any extra roasted tomatoes (and the oil they were roasted in) can be placed in a clean jar (I prefer glass to plastic) with a tight fitting lid and refrigerated for other uses ~ anywhere you would use sun dried tomatoes. I don't bother submerging them in extra olive oil. Because they are not dehydrated to the point of sun dried tomatoes and to reduce the risk of botulism, I usually use them up within a week or so.

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, you can find it on my recipe blog HERE.

I'm participating in REAL FOOD WEDNESDAYS, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Cop ~

please click below to visit Kelly's wonderful blog (click logo.)

AND

Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum

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A big THANK YOU to Michael Lee for hosting us so faithfully! xo

And t hank you for stopping by! If you try this recipe I hope you love it.

Szechuan-Style String Beans

We used to order this favorite dish all the time at a favorite Chinese restaurant when I lived in the SF Bay Area. Years ago I bought the chef/owner's cookbook and it has been a life saver for times when I crave these green beans, as I haven't found a recipe for Szechuan-style String Beans I like as well as this one. Make it as spicy or as mild as you like ~ and add as much or as little garlic as you want. It's delightfully fragrant, and it's one of those dishes I MUST make whenever good quality green beans come to market.
I've posted about this dish before (here), and now I've added the recipe to my recipe blog so you can print or save the recipe.

The original recipe required that the beans be deep fried first (a method known as oil-blanching), but I've adjusted the recipe to our tastes using much less oil (about 1 tablespoon), which produces a lighter, more healthful dish. I nearly always substitute the ground pork with ground chicken (I process boneless, skinless chicken breast in food processor until minced), or ground turkey.

If you try this recipe, I hope it becomes a favorite of yours, too.

For a printable copy of the recipe you can find it on my recipe blog by clicking HERE.

This is my submission for Foodie Friday, hosted by Designs by Gollum ~

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Thank you so much for stopping by, I always read and very much appreciate any comments you would like to leave. I wish everyone a wonderful weekend!

Roasted Vegetable Terrine

Terrine:

ter·rine (te rēn′, tə-)

noun,

1.Usually describes a kind of pâté made of pieces of meat or vegetables in a deep dish with straight sides.

2. Can also be used to describe the dish itself; an earthenware dish or casserole in which a pâté or any of various similar meat or vegetable mixtures is cooked and served.

3. The food so prepared.

One of my favorite wedding presents from years and years (and years) ago was a plain white oval terrine. In the beginning I didn't use the darling container for pâté or traditional terrine recipes, but it was perfect for a meatloaf for two (plus leftovers for sandwiches), small casseroles, side dishes, deep dish fruit cobblers, etc.

Over time, I've gathered a modest collection of these most useful molds. The one pictured above is the newest addition to my little family of terrines. I love it ~ a birthday gift from our son. He knows me well. :) I don't know about you, but gone are the jewelery and clothing wish lists for me. I don't miss them a bit. Kitchen and gardening things are my very favorite kinds of gifts.

Like many of us in the 70's when Cuisinart home food processors were introduced I went wild, slicing and processing and making and terrines. I still use it nearly everyday, but for pâtés and terrines .... not so much ~ only for special celebrations.

However, this little terrine inspired me to try a healthier roasted vegetable terrine ~ with goat cheese. (If you don't care for goat cheese you could use herbed Boursin, feta or even flavored cream cheese.)

Had fresh basil been available I would have served it with a Basil-Walnut pesto, but basil from the garden is gone for the year. Instead I made a roasted sweet red pepper puree mixed with a little sour cream to enrich it; (I used lower-fat) it complemented the terrine slices perfectly.

An alternate way of serving the slices would be over baby field greens with a drizzle of vinaigrette ~ a wonderful light lunch, or a starter for a meal in either summer or winter.

The method is easy. First I lined the mold with plastic cling film (to facilitate removal of the finished terrine), then lined it with a single layer of leafy greens which I blanched so they would be tender and pliable; I used the outer leaves of romaine lettuce and "v"-cut the tough stem out, leaving the leaf intact, but you could use any leafy green; spinach, chard, beet greens, or grape leaves, etc. Don't worry if the leaves tear, just overlap slightly it won't matter when you slice to serve.

The remaining sliced vegetables were roasted (in a hot oven) zucchini, yellow squash, sweet red bell peppers (can use jarred) and sliced mushrooms.

Instead of roasting the whole asparagus and the carrot slices, I blanched them until just tender then plunged them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.

I had some leftover garlic-sauteed baby spinach so I blended that into the fresh goat cheese and seasoned with salt, pepper and basil.

After the layers are in place, the blanced leaves are folded over the top, then the cling film, next flat ceramic press is placed on top and some sort of weight (canned good, or other heavy item), then the entire dish is refrigerated for 8 to 24 hours before unmolding and slicing to serve.

You could use almost any other vegetables you'd like; the thing to keep in mind is that since this is not a baked terrine you want the vegetables rather tender so they should be cooked to make slicing the terrine easier.

I didn't use a formal recipe for this terrine, I used vegetables I had on hand ~ but I found THIS printable copy from Emeril Legasse on the Food Network website, which is very similar to how I assembled mine. His version makes a much larger terrine, however, you could easily reduce the ingredients by half for a smaller mold.

The cute little Le Creuset terrine is available at amazon.com (see sidebar, to the right.)

Publish Post

Green Bean and Bacon Salad

Tyler Florence Fridays!

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This is one of my favorite Tyler Florence recipes ~ it's fairly healthful (if you don't count the bacon), very flavorful and goes together quickly.

Simply crisp the bacon in a skillet and drain, briefly blanch the green beans in boiling water, drain and plunge into an ice water bath to stop the cooking and set the color.

Toast the walnuts (or pecans) and shake up the simple dressing in a jar.

Arrange the ingredients in a bowl on on a platter. Right before serving, toss with the dressing and dig in!

I love this salad.

It's perfect for a potluck, or party because it can all be made ahead, then just tossed with the dressing when ready to serve.

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, it's on my recipe blog ~

Please click HERE to get it.

I'm also sharing this for Foodie Friday!
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Thanks for stopping by and I would love if you would leave me a comment so I know you've visited!