Goodies from the Garden: String Beans

Summer is my favorite time of year, not only because of the warm weather, but also because I get to plant my vegetable garden.  Every year I try something new, but there are always staples: Tomatoes, Peppers, String Beans, Zucchini and Arugula are a must!  They are easy to grow, and just so delicious especially knowing they are super fresh and organic.  I picked some wonderful string beans from my garden and decided to make something new.  Tonight I made Balsamic Chicken with string beans and cheese tortellini mixed with tomatoes, feta and basil.  I must admit, I was a little nervous putting this meal together because there were alot of ingredients, but somehow they all worked together.

Balsamic chicken: serves 2-3

1 medium onion  sliced in thin rings

2 chicken breasts, cubed
20 string beans, trimmed and cut in half - steamed for a few minutes

Sautee onions in olive oil until golden, move them to the side of the pan, and add your chicken, season with salt and pepper, continue sauteing until chicken pieces turn white, add string beans, mix everything together, and add about 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar.  Cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

Cheese Tortellini Salad:
1 package cheese tortellini cooked and drained
1/2 diced tomato
1/3 cup crumbled Feta
few basil leaves - chopped
Mix everything together while the cheese tortellini is warm, serve warm or cold
Enjoy!!

a Mexican inspired meal...

I declined to order Blockheads for lunch today, and instead took a stroll down 5th ave only to realize the city has been taken over by food trucks.  Its a new generation of eating out of fancy food trucks, not your regular hot dog stands.  While I walked by a Mediterranean, Korean and fish and chips truck, I ultimately chose a Cuban Truck.  I cant say my food was amazing, but for a food truck it was pretty good, however that's not saying much for the truck.  I think the whole point is to offer AMAZING food, and my chicken sandwich was about a 6 out of 10.  But back to my inspiration, blockheads is a tex mex place in the city and I decided I wanted to make Mexican for Dinner.  This meal was very quick to prepare, thanx to a few shortcuts, and most of it done while holding my 20 month old little boy in one arm because he loves to watch me cook.
I made a pilaf rice and grilled chicken topped with pico de gallo, and a side of  refried beans and guacamole.
Lets start with the easiest:
Pico De Gallo - very good when prepared fresh, today mine came in a glass jar, a mixture of onions, tomatoes, and peppers, Goya does a pretty good job.
Refried beans - black beans from a can, washed under cold water, fried on a pan with a little oil and shredded cheddar cheese, this takes a few minutes over a medium flame, mix and mash everything together.
Guacamole - 1 avocado, mashed and seasoned with salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chicken - 4 thin sliced chicken breasts sliced in thin strips and fried with salt and paprika
Rice - a Pilaf rice mix, cooked according to package instructions.
I cant tell you how delicious this meal was, you'll only have to try for yourself.

Carmelized Peppers over PotatoMash and Grilled Chicken

The inspiration for tonight's dinner came from a vegetable stand.  I saw a display of red, green, yellow and orange peppers next to each other and I knew that I had to put them together into something pretty.  This meal was so easy and super delicious, try for yourself.

Grilled chicken breast prepared any way you like, I used a poultry seasoning and a squeeze of lemon juice and grilled on the stove in a grill pan.

Idaho Potatoes were boiled till soft, then drained and mashed with 1/2 cup warm milk and 1 TBS butter.

For the Caramelized Peppers:

1 of each - yellow, green, red and orange pepper sliced thin

1 onion sliced thin

Heat 2 TBS olive oil and 1 TBS butter in a frying pan, and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, turning often.
What you get is a simple yet delicious combination of flavors and a nice dinner idea. Enjoy!!


cut up peppers



Roasted Vegetables

There is nothing easier than roasting vegetables.  Its the quickest side dish to prepare, not exactly the quickest to cook depending on the vegetable, but nevertheless, its always worth it.  What you get is gorgeous colors, delicious flavor, and a healthy side dish or Snack.  I roast vegetables all the time, the best are broccoli and butternut squash. Just cut up vegetables in a uniform size, to make sure they cook evenly, line a baking sheet with foil ( spray foil with caooking spray) for easy clean up, drizzle extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt, and voila, you've got a meal. Bake at 400 degrees until soft and golden brown.  Enjoy
Other Roasting ideas: Asparagus, cut up potato wedges, brussel sprouts.

Burger and Fries!!!

Tonight's dinner was fast food inspired, Chicken Cheeseburger, Fries and Cole Slaw, and all made from scratch.  I was at Trader Joe's this weekend, and picked up the cutest mini buns, and I thought, they really deserve to be served right.  To think, the inspiration came from a pretty little bun. So I made mini chicken burgers and home fries, as well as my own cole slaw, and the result was amazing.  So much so that my husband called it his new favorite meal.  The fries recipe happens to be my childhood favorite.  Its so simple, yet the flavor of freshly cut fries is so delicious no wonder they call them home fries. 

Mini burgers: makes about 15 mini burgers

1 lb ground chicken

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped dill

Mix all ingredients, shape into mini burgers and fry on a skillet ( I have a grill skillet which is perfect) until golden.  The burgers cook quick, about 2 minutes per side, I also added a quarter slice of American cheese to each.  To make the sliders, I mixed ketchup and mustard and smeared on both sides of the bun, topped with a little cole slaw.

Home Fries:

5 Idaho potatoes

peel and wash potatoes and cut thin, heat 2 TB spoons vegetable oil in a non stick skillet and add potatoes, cook, turning often on medium-low heat till golden and soft, about 25 minutes, you can also cover to cook quicker, but check on it often and turn often.

Cole Slaw

1 package shredded cabbage and carrots

dressing:

This recipe I really eyeballed all the ingredients, a few tablespoons white wine vinegar, mayo, Dijon mustard, squeeze of lemon.  whisk everything together and mix with cabbage, I also added half of a pear, finely chopped, for the sweetness. Mix well and let stand for a few hours so the cabbage can marinate, or refrigerate overnight.

Creamy Corn Soup!!!!!

You only realize how many people read your blog when you stop blogging and suddenly everyone starts asking " what are you cooking" and "why aren't you blogging", the answer is I am cooking and I still take pictures almost every night, I guess that doesn't really count.  So here I am, back at it, and I've got lots to blog about.  Where should we start? How about today's experiment.  I've been making Split Pea Soup for ages, its actually a simple recipe I came up with myself.  It starts with sauteing chopped onions, celery and carrots in olive oil, you add water and dried split peas, a few cut up potatoes, a little salt and just let that cook for about an hour, mash everything up and you've got yourself a great soup.  Today, I decided to try something new, everything the same, except I substituted dried split peas for fresh corn.  The Result....Delicious.  Try for yourself.

Creamy Corn Soup - serves 3-4
1 medium onion
1 large carrot
2 stalk celery
1 leek - washed well
2 - fresh corn, cut from the cob
2 large potatoes-cubed
In a Large pot or dutch oven, sautee the onions, celery carrot and leek in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil until golden.  Add corn and about 4 cups of water, bring to boil, then reduce heat. Add salt ( start with 1 teaspoon and then taste and see if it needs more) Add potatoes and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Turn off the heat and let cool.  I then used a hand held immersion blender to cream the soup.  If you don't have this handy tool, you can always use a potato masher, or a real blender to get it really creamy, just make sure to cool the soup first. I garnished with a dollop of sour cream, fresh ground pepper and basil. Enjoy