A Life, Lived

Sauteed Green Beans with Mushrooms

I had a real glut of beans this year and when the garden was in overdrive I searched for interesting ways to use those beans up. This was a delicious and healthy side dish. It is both vegan and gluten free if you care about such things. While it made a great weeknight side dish it would also be a good choice for a holiday meal.

Enjoy.

Sauteed Green Beans with Mushrooms

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced <br.<8 ounces mushrooms, white button or cremini, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare an ice bath by placing cold water and ice cubes in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large skillet, bring 1-2 inches of water to a boil. Add the whole trimmed green beans to the pot. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes until they are bright green. Do not overcook the beans. Immediately transfer the beans to the bowl of ice water, then drain when cool.

Pat the green beans dry with a kitchen towel. Slice the green beans into bite size pieces.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. (You can dry and use the same skillet you used to cook the green beans.) Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Next add the mushrooms to the pan and saute until soft.

Add the sliced green beans to the pan and toss to heat through.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.

Marinated Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad

Versions of this salad have been in regular rotation this summer. Quick to make and packing a ton of flavour salads like this are best when there is a ready supply of fresh from the garden produce. They are flexible and you can play around with the herbs added. Although this recipe calls for dried herbs you can just as easily use fresh although you'd want to triple the amount.

Enjoy

Marinated Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad

3 medium cucumbers peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick (sliced about 4 cups)
1 medium white onion sliced and separated into thicker rings
3 medium tomatoes largely chopped
½ cup vinegar of your choice
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons< salt
½ teaspoon Black Coarse Pepper or to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried parsley

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Serve with the liquid (I usually drain most of the liquid off) or without, either way, it’ll taste delicious as all the veggies are marinated thoroughly.

Time to Garden

Well, in lieu of the last post, perhaps not immediately.

Nonetheless, we signed the lease and paid for the garden plot last weekend. We take possession of 'our' land on Sunday.

For the next six months we'll be 'farming' this:

Seeds are bought.

I have also bought onion 'sets' and planting fingerling potatoes to try something new (although I think the soil is going to prove too heavy for them).

We will buy tomato and jalapeno pepper plants from a local farmer.

Last year I didn't take the warnings from the experienced gardeners about hungry deer seriously.

I will not make that mistake again.

This year I won't wait until AFTER they have treated the tender seedlings as a buffet to build a fence. I have one all planned out, drawn to scale on graph paper.

Don't ever say that I refuse to learn from my stupid mistakes!

I've also mapped out the plot. Mind you, I seem to have repeated potatoes twice so we'll either plant a few more rows of something or just spread other things out a bit.

The next 6 months will be busy!

Thai Cucumber Salad

Lately we've been receiving a large English cucumber in our CSA shipment every week. While we love cucumber we haven't been able to eat them all up so they were taking over the fridge. I decided to make this salad to try and put a dint in the supply.

I'm going to confess that this salad surprised me. It was bloody amazing. It blew my expectations out of the water. We both loved the flavours and textures - funny how simple ingredients when combined properly can make your taste buds tingle (in a good way).

Even better, it was quick and easy to make. Win, win!

Enjoy.

Thai Cucumber Salad

½ red onion, very thinly sliced
2 large English cucumbers, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise ¼-inch thick
⅓ cup packed chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup salted peanuts
1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (or use 1-2 Thai chiles for more heat)
¼ teaspoon salt (optional - we did not add this)
¼ cup fresh lime juice, from 2-3 limes
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 garlic clove, minced

In a large bowl, combine the drained red onions, cucumbers, cilantro, peanuts and jalapeño pepper. Set aside.

Make the dressing: combine the lime juice, oil, fish sauce, sugar and garlic in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve the salad within 30 minutes.

Spanakopita Pie

Traditional spanakopita, a Greek feta and spinach pie, is either baked in a large pan and cut into slices or folded into triangles or rectangles or spirals. This version is less fussy, and can be on the table in less time. It relies, in part, on a rustic, open-face approach and breadcrumbs, which help absorb the liquid from freshly cooked spinach and add a fluffy texture to the filling. If you’d prefer to use frozen spinach, make sure it’s fully defrosted and very well drained — wring it in a clean kitchen towel to remove excess liquid.

This makes a nice brunch dish or main course, perhaps with a grain salad, sliced tomatoes and red onions in a simple vinaigrette or roasted white fish on the side.

Enjoy!

Spanakopita Pie

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 bunch (about 4 ounces) scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
10 ounces (8 to 10 cups) baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces phyllo dough, about half a box, defrosted
1 bunch fresh dill or parsley leaves and tender stems, chopped
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
5 ounces feta, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
3 large eggs, whisked well

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and salt, and cook until the spinach wilts, releases its liquid and dries out, about 5 minutes. Scrape the spinach into a large bowl and let it cool while you prepare the crust.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Brush a 9-inch pie plate with olive oil.

Unravel the phyllo dough onto a clean, dry work surface. Working quickly, gently brush the top sheet of phyllo with some of the oil. There’s no need to oil every spot; the oil will spread as you work. Pick up the first three or four sheets of phyllo in a stack and lay them, oil side up, in the pan, allowing one narrow end to cover the bottom of the pan and the other end to climb up the side of the pie plate and hang over the edge.

Repeat, brushing the top of the remaining stack of phyllo sheets, and placing the next three or four sheets into the pan, oil side up. Continue oiling and fitting the oiled phyllo into the pie plate, rotating the pan so that the bottom is covered and a roughly even amount of phyllo is hanging over the circumference of the pie plate. This will not look perfect; if the phyllo tears, patch it and keep going. Set the pie plate aside.

Add the dill or parsley, breadcrumbs, feta and black pepper to the cooled spinach, stirring to combine. Then add the eggs, mixing well to combine. Pour the filling into the phyllo-lined pie plate and, using your fingers, crinkle the phyllo overhang partially over the top of the pie, leaving a 5- to 6-inch diameter in the center exposed. The more crinkled the top is, the nicer it will look once baked, so don’t worry about making this look neat. Lightly oil any dry spots of phyllo before baking.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the filling is set and the phyllo is deep brown in places, like the color of an almond skin. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Tomato Vegetable Soup

When you were a kid did you ever get vegetable soup from a can?

I did and I loved it - even though I would likely not eat any of those same vegetables had they been severed to me separately on a plate. That bowl of soup was delicious and comforting.

This tomato vegetable soup recipe is a simple, comforting and tasty way to eat more veggies. When it is made in the Instant Pot it is ready in about 30 minutes.

I made it for dinner last Friday and we both were super impressed. I was also impressed that I was able to use tomatoes, beans and corn from the garden plot.

The only change I made to the recipe was to add alphabet noodles because who doesn'; need to spell words while they eat their soup? Once the Instant Pot had released the steam I dumped in 1/3 cup alphabet noodles and let is sit for 10 minutes.

Perfect.

Tomato Vegetable Soup

1/2 Tablespoon oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
stalks celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1.5 cups frozen corn
1 cup green beans (frozen or fresh)
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce)
1/2 can tomato sauce (14.5 ounce)
2 cups diced potatoes
4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste

Use the sauté setting, and cook the onion, celery and carrots in the oil until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, plus all remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot.

Put the lid in place, lock it, and cook for 5 minutes on manual high pressure. 

Allow the pot to natural release (NPR) for 15 minutes, and then quick release (QR) any remaining pressure.

This is where I added in the alphabet noodles.

Taste test to see how much salt and pepper needs to be added. (This will vary greatly, based on how much salt is already in your chicken stock, tomatoes and tomato sauce.)

Green Beans with Mushrooms and Shallots

My cooking last week was geared towards cleaning out as much from the fridge as I could in preparation for filling it with Thanksgiving food. I had green beans and mushrooms that were at risk of going funky. When I googled for a recipe this one came up. I was a bit skeptical but the developer, Ellie Kreiger, was a recipe developer I was familiar with and if Ellie said it was good then I was game to try it.

My skepticism was based upon the fact that there were so few ingredients - nothing to add layers of flavour other than the fresh veggies. At first I thought there was a misprint given the lack of herbs. Then I remembered that simple, fresh ingredients often yield the most flavourful dishes. Some of the reviews suggested adding garlic but I resisted. I figured if Ellie wanted garlic in there or felt it was necessary then she would have included it in the recipe!

Ellie knows her stuff. This was a delicious dish!

My cooking last week was geared towards cleaning out as much from the fridge as I could in preparation for filling it with Thanksgiving food. I had green beans and mushrooms that were at risk of going funky. When I googled for a recipe this one came up. I was a bit skeptical but the developer, Ellie Kreiger, was a recipe developer I was familiar with and if Ellie said it was good then I was game to try it.

My skepticism was based upon the fact that there were so few ingredients - nothing to add layers of flavour other than the fresh veggies. At first I thought there was a misprint given the lack of herbs. Then I remembered that simple, fresh ingredients often yield the most flavourful dishes. Some of the reviews suggested adding garlic but I resisted. I figured if Ellie wanted garlic in there or felt it was necessary then she would have included it in the recipe!

Ellie knows her stuff. This was a delicious dish!

Green Beans with Mushrooms and Shallots

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup sliced shallots (about 2 medium)
3/4 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, (ie: button, baby bella, shiitake, oyster, chanterelle), sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put green beans in a microwave-safe bowl with the water. Cover tightly and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Carefully remove the cover, drain in a colander, shaking off any excess water, and set aside.

While the beans are cooking, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water they release has evaporated and they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the green beans and stir to combine and rewarm. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Green Beans with Mushrooms and Shallots

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup sliced shallots (about 2 medium)
3/4 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, (ie: button, baby bella, shiitake, oyster, chanterelle), sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put green beans in a microwave-safe bowl with the water. Cover tightly and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Carefully remove the cover, drain in a colander, shaking off any excess water, and set aside.

While the beans are cooking, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water they release has evaporated and they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the green beans and stir to combine and rewarm. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Bake

A couple of weeks back the temperature dropped low enough for me to brave turning the oven on . . . at the same time I had two heads of cauliflower and broccoli in the refrigerator to eat up.  I turned to google for some help with the surfeit of veggies and this recipe turned up.

This is the perfect side dish for any turkey dinner or weeknight meal. This easy side contains no condensed soup which makes it a hell of a lot healthier than other versions out there.  The tender crisp veggies are tossed in an easy homemade cheese sauce and topped with a buttery crumb topping. Easy. Delicious. Win!

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Bake

4 cups each fresh broccoli and cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
3 ounces package cream cheese
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs

Combine 2 tablespoons butter with bread crumbs and set aside.

Boil cauliflower in a large pot for 2 minutes. Add in broccoli and cook an additional 2 minutes or until tender crisp. Drain well.

In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add in flour, stirring until smooth. Add milk whisking constantly over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in salt, cream cheese, garlic powder, black pepper and mustard powder until smooth. Add in cheddar cheese. Toss with broccoli and cauliflower.

Top with breadcrumbs mixture and bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Corn Chowder

Don’t we all crave this time of year? Not only do we get those relaxing days spent outside, backyard cookouts, and weekend hikes to soak up that summer sun but it also means getting some of the best food of the year while all the fresh produce is in season.

It’s that time of year where you’ll find fresh corn on the cob galore, especially if you’re near the plethora of local growers. If you’re like us you’re likely eating it multiple times throughout the week and looking for more ways to use it and this corn chowder is one of the best ways to put it to good use!

It has everything you’d want in a corn chowder and then some. Nothing fancy, just tasty homestyle comfort food at its best!

There are lots of recipes out there but I went with this one from Recipe Tin Eats figuring that the flavour profile would be the best - you use the bacon drippings to make the soup base and after cutting the kernels off, throw the corn cobs into the broth to infuse it with extra corn flavour! The potato is cooked until very soft, so the edges are starting to breakdown and this helps thicken the soup.

I was right. This was an amazing soup!

We like to serve corn chowder with some grated cheese on top in addition to the green onions and bacon in the recipe.

Enjoy!

Corn Chowder

4 cobs corn
1 tsp butter
250 g/8 oz bacon, chopped
30 g/2 tbsp butter (use 3 tbsp if bacon is lean)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, diced (or half large onion) (yellow, brown or white)
5 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
3 cups milk (I used low fat but full fat will work too)
600 g/ 1.2 lb potatoes, cut into 1 cm / 2/5" cubes (about 2 large)
2 sprigs of thyme OR 1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup cream
3/4 cup scallions, green part finely sliced
Salt and finely ground pepper to taste

Cut the corn off the cob. This is how I do it: Place a small ramekin in a large bowl. Place corn on the ramekin then cut the corn off. See video. Keep naked cobs.

Place 1 tsp butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove onto a paper towel lined plate. Leave fat in pot.

Lower heat to medium high. Add 2 tbsp butter, once melted, add garlic and onion. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until onion is translucent.

Add flour and mix it in. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add broth, milk, potatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Break naked cobs into 2 or 3 and add into the liquid. Put the lid on and simmer for 25 minutes (adjust heat so it's simmering energetically but not bubbling like crazy or super gently).

Remove lid, remove corn cobs. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked to your taste.

Stir through cream and 3/4 of the bacon and scallions. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining bacon and scallions.

Gemista - Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

When we visited Greece a number of the restaurants we went to featured stuffed tomatoes on the menu. In most cases they were stuffed with a meat, rice, herb, tomato mixture. You wouldn't think that they would taste amazing but they certainly did. When I was thinking for ways to use up the glut of tomatoes that we have I immediately thought of trying to recreate those stuffed tomatoes. Of course, with the joys of google you never have to recreate anything do you?

Since the temperatures have dropped below 'surface of the sun' I felt I might manage to turn the oven on and make this for dinner on Friday.

Three secrets to this amazing stuffed tomato recipe: a hearty, flavor-packed stuffing; sufficient amount of good extra virgin olive oil; and baking until the tomatoes collapse to tender perfection and the stuffing mixture inside is fully cooked through. Greek yiayias will tell you, if the stuffed tomatoes look too perfect, they're probably not very tasty!

These delicious, perfectly baked stuffed tomatoes may be considered a side dish in some Greek households; maybe served next to some lamb. But to me, these are delicious and hearty enough to stand on their own

I know these can be just a bit of a labour of love, but they are not complicated to make (and you can prepare them a little bit ahead of time.)

I made the mistake of using brown rice - it tends to not cook as well in preparations like this as white rice does. Needless to say there was some crunchy bits on the top of the tomatoes - not the end of the world by any measure. I think I'd increase the fresh herbs to really have that fresh flavour come through. Finally, my tomatoes were full of moisture - adding a cup of water to the dish was overkill. After an hour I was worried that the dish would overflow in the oven and sucked moisture out with a baster! You might want to try 1/3 a cup and add more if they seem dry.

Before:

After:

Enjoy!

Gemista - Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

8 peppers and/or tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 cup tomato sauce (I used a simple roasted tomato sauce)
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup herbs such as parsley, dill and mint (chopped)
1/4 cup arborio rice
1 pound ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the tops off of the peppers and tomatoes and remove the seeds from the peppers and the insides of the tomatoes reserving them.

Heat the oil in a pan.

Add the onions and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the reserved tomato guts, tomato sauce and oregano and simmer until it thickens and remove from the heat.

Mix the tomato sauce, herbs, rice, ground beef, salt and pepper.

Stuff the mixture into the peppers and tomatoes and place them in a baking dish.

Pour the water and olive oil into the baking dish.

Bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven until the liquid has evaporated and the peppers and tomatoes are roasted until slightly caramelized, about 1-2 hours.