Sauteed Green Beans with Water Chestnuts and Sliced Garlic

Here's a simple way to kick up those wonderful green beans. Water chestnuts don't have much flavor, but have a great crunch. Saute the water chestnuts with some olive oil, sliced garlic and salt and pepper and it a beautiful thing. 

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans 

1 can sliced water chestnuts

6 sliced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Take the green beans and trim off the ends. Use the stove top steamer to cook the green beans  in about 10 minutes. When done rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Heat a 10" saute pan to medium. Add the olive oil, water chestnuts, sliced garlic and some salt and pepper. Saute slowly for 5 minutes or so not burning the garlic. Add the green beans and heat to serving temperature. 

To serve, place the green beans on a serving plate and top with the water chestnuts and sliced garlic. 

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes

Garlic and red pepper flakes are one of my favorite spice combinations. Here I'm using rough chopped garlic that I cooked in the microwave for just 30 seconds with a tablespoon of butter. By briefly cooking the garlic this way, I'm softening the garlic and taking out the raw spicy taste. 

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

6 - 8 garlic cloves very rough chop

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Take the green beans and trim off the ends and cut on an angle into 1" to 1-1/2" long. Use the stove top steamer to cook the green beans about 10 minutes. When done rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Take the garlic and rough chop into pretty big pieces. Place the garlic in a small microwave proof bowl with 1 tablespoon of butter and cook in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Heat a 10" saute pan to medium high. Add the olive oil and green beans and toss. Add the garlic, butter and red pepper flakes and toss until well incorporated. Heat to serving temperature. Season with salt and pepper and you're done.

Sauteed Bok Choy with Chopped Garlic

Here's a quick and tasty vegetable dish that pairs well with sauteed tofu and rice or grilled chicken and noodles.

Ingredients:
1 bunch Bok Choy
4  - 5 rough chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil.
1 tablespoon butter
Garlic salt
Pepper

Preparation:

Take Bok Choy and cut off the bottom part of the stalk and wash in cold water. Slice the stems into 1/2 inch pieces and the leafy parts into bite size pieces.

Heat a 12" saute pan to medium high. Add the olive oil and Bok Choy and saute tossing frequently. Season the Bok Choy with garlic salt and pepper to taste and cook about 5 minutes. Take the garlic and rough chop so it's still in pretty big pieces. Add the garlic to a microwave proof bowl, a tablespoon of butter and cook in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the garlic to the Bok Choy, toss and you're done.

French Vinnaigrette Beans

Here's a really quick and easy green beans recipe that will amaze you. This is a new favorite and we'll be having this again soon I'm sure.

Ingredients:

1 pound French green beans

2 tablespoons Brianna's Vinaigrette salad dressing

Salt & pepper

Preparation:

Place the green beans in a steamer and cook 5 - 7 minutes until done. Place in a bowl and add the Briana's salad dressing, a grind of salt and pepper and toss.

To serve, place the green beans on a serving plate and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Swiss Chard

Sometimes you come across something in your grocery store that looks so amazing you have to get it. That's what happened when I saw this beautiful Swiss Card. This was a huge bunch of organic red Swiss Chard from Safeway. Not only does this just look really good, but Swiss Card is one of the healthiest vegetables that ranks with the likes of beets, spinach and quinoa. I was curious why this is called Swiss Chard and it turns out that the vegetable is not from Switzerland at all, but was discovered by a Swiss botanist by the name of Karl Koch. I simply prepared the Swiss Chard in a sauté pan with some olive oil, crushed garlic and salt and pepper.
 

Ingredients:

1 bunch organic Swiss Chard

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

Salt and pepper
 

Preparation:

Rinse the Swiss Chard in cold water. Trim the ends of the stalks and cut into 1 inch ribbons.

Heat a 12" sauté pan to medium. Add the olive oil and chopped Swiss Chard. The Swiss Chard will start out as a big pile and cook down similar to spinach. Once the Swiss Chard has cooked down, remove to a strainer and let any excess moister run off.
 

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the sauté pan and heat to medium low. Add the garlic and cook one minute. You want to gently soften the garlic, so don't over cook or burn the garlic. Add the Swiss Chard back to the pan and toss with the garlic and you're ready to serve. 

Sesame Vegetables and Rice with Crispy Tofu

I've made a lot of different versions of this dish and each and every time it's so delicious. The key to making crispy tofu is to wrap the tofu block in paper towels to pull all the moisture out of the tofu. You might need to change the paper towels 5 or 6 times, but once moisture free the tofu with crisp up nicely while the inside stays soft and creamy. Secondly, add the sesame oil to the vegetables just before serving so you get the most flavor.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice

1 block extra firm tofu

1 large or 2 medium zucchini

1 head bok choy

1/2 red bell pepper

1 can sliced water chestnut

1/2 diced yellow onion

4 chopped garlic cloves

2 tablespoons sesame oil

Salt and pepper

 

Preparation:

Cook the rice according to instructions, which is 1 cup rice, 2 cups water and some salt. The rice will be done when you're done preparing the rest of the dish.

 

Remove the moisture from the tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Repeat the process until the moisture is removed from the tofu. Cut the tofu into 1-1/2" blocks. Heat a large skillet and add the canola oil. Cook the tofu until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Heat a 12" sauté pan to medium high. Add some canola oil and the diced yellow onion and cook for just a minute. Add the diced zucchini, chopped bok choy, bell pepper, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables start to soften up. Add the sliced water chestnuts and cook an additional 2 minutes. Lastly, check for proper seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary and add the sesame oil. Toss to mix in the sesame oil and you're done.

 

To serve, place some rice on a serving plate and add portion of sesame vegetables and crispy tofu. Garnish the dish with chopped cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.

 

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan Cheese

This is fairly quick and simple preparation, but so good. I think the key to the dish is cutting the cauliflower into small florets and roasting at 450 degrees. The outside of the cauliflower is kind of crispy, but the inside creamy smooth. Though you can't really see in the picture, there is a topping of grated parmesan cheese which has melted right in for super deliciousness.

 

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste  

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into small florets and place into a mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and a grind of salt and pepper to the cauliflower and toss. Add the cauliflower to a shallow roasting pan and roast in the oven for about 10 - 12 minutes. Inspect and stir often so the cauliflower browns on all sides.

 

To serve, place the roasted cauliflower on a serving plate and top with parmesan cheese, a grind of salt and pepper and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Corn on the Cob with Cilantro Lime Butter

I don't know if it's quite corn season yet, but the weathers getting warmer and grocery stores are starting to stock up. Here I'm using white and yellow corn with cilantro lime butter. Give this a try, you'll be a fan. 

 

Ingredients:

2 ears of corn 

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

 

Preparation:

Place the corn in a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Once at a boil reduce to simmer and cook about 10 minutes.

 

Place the butter on a medium size microwave proof plate and melt. Mix in the lime juice and the chopped cilantro.

 

To serve, place your corn cob holders into the ears of corn. Roll the corn cob through the cilantro lime butter, grind on some fresh ground salt and pepper and enjoy.  

Creamed Spinach with Bacon

I make creamed spinach every couple months or so because it's one of my favorite side dishes to a steak dinner. This time I added some crumbled bacon to the cream sauce and man was it ever good. The key to creamed spinach is to make sure you squeeze as much moisture out of the cooked spinach as possible before adding to the cream sauce.



Available at Costco



Ingredients:

3 lbs. fresh spinach

2 to 3 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons Wondra brand flour

1 cup 1% milk

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons crumbled bacon

2 crushed garlic cloves

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

In a 12" sauté pan cook down all the spinach a handful at a time. When all the spinach is cooked let cool in a colander. When cool take some paper towels and squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible, set a side

 

Mix the milk, butter and flour in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave to make a cream sauce. Every 30 seconds take the cream sauce out and stir. After about 2-1/2 minutes the cream sauce will thicken up like thick pancake batter. 

Add the cream sauce to a 12" sauté pan and bring up to simmer. Add the bacon and garlic and cook 1 minute. 

 

Add the cooked spinach, parmesan cheese to the pan, salt and pepper to taste. Mix and heat until cheese is melted and you're done.

 

To serve, place the creamed spinach into a serving bowl and garnish with a little crumbled bacon.

Chopped Broccoli with Garlic Aioli

Love steamed chopped broccoli, but add some garlic aioli and you've got a really tasty vegetable dish. Garlic aioli is just a fancy name for crushed raw garlic mixed in with mayonnaise. I know this sounds a little weird, garlic mayonnaise and broccoli, but give it a try and it will be a new favorite vegetable dish.

 

I love this garlic press, so easy to clean!

Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli
1/8 cup lite mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves
couple of drops fresh lemon juice of lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Prepare a large steamer to cook the broccoli. Break the head of broccoli up into individual florets and place in the steamer and cook for 3 - 4 minute. You don't want to over cook the broccoli. The key to this dish is to cook the broccoli al dente, firm to the bite.

While the broccoli is cooking, take your garlic press and crush the garlic cloves. Scrape the garlic into  a bowl with the mayonnaise and mix well. Transfer the content to a small serving bowl.
 

When the broccoli is done, place the contents onto a cutting board and rough chop the broccoli into bite size pieces. Transfer the chopped broccoli to a serving plate and place the garlic aioli in the middle of the broccoli.

Sautéed Broccoli and Carrots

Have you even gone to a restaurant and have your meal come with vegetables and thought those are so darn good? The secret to perfect vegetables is the 2 part cooking process. First you steam the vegetables and then sauté in a little butter. These vegetables are served al dente, firm to the bite and delicious.  

 

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 medium broccoli florets

4 medium carrots

1 tablespoon butter

 

Preparation:

Peel the carrots and cut into 1" pieces. Rotate the carrot as you cut into pieces so you have varying shapes. Take the broccoli and cut off the stalk so you have individual broccoli pieces. Cut each one of the broccoli pieces in half.

 

Use a large 4 quart sauce pan with steamer attachment and bring the water up to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the carrots and cook about 4 minutes. They will be perfectly done when you can take a fork and penetrate about half way through the carrot. At this point the carrot is cooked, but still has that nice crunch you're looking for. Take the carrots and place into a large bowl filled with cold water. This stops the coking process and keeps the nice bright color.

 

Next, repeat the process with the broccoli. However, the broccoli will cook more quickly than the carrots, only about 2 minutes. When done, add to the cold water with the carrots. Finish this step by draining the water and placing some paper towels on a plate and letting the vegetables rest until you're ready to finish the dish 

 

To finish the dish, take a 10" sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the butter and vegetables. Sauté

until heated, about 2 minutes and you're ready to serve.

Sautéed Zucchini with Parmesan Cheese and Red Pepper Flakes

Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables. They're great steamed, sautéed and grilled. Zucchini and Parmesan cheese are a wonderful pairing. Add some heat from the red pepper flakes and richness from the olive oil and you're in for a real treat.

 

Ingredients:
3 large zucchini's
1 tablespoon olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Wash the zucchini's and shred either by hand or food processor. Take a few paper towels and squeeze out as much moister as you can.

Heat a 12" sauté pan to medium high. Add the olive oil, give it a few seconds to heat up and add the zucchini and a grind of salt and pepper. Cook for about ten minutes and you're done.

To serve, place the zucchini on a serving plate and top with Parmesan cheese, large pinch of red pepper flakes, grind of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish the dish with chopped Italian parsley.

Green Beans with Garlic and Chopped Walnuts

I love a perfectly cooked green beans. I believe Costco has some of the organic best green beans going. They're pre-washed and trimmed and all you have to do is cook them. To make perfect green beans involves 2 cooking methods. First you steam the green beans and when they're just cooked through, soft to the bite, take them off the steamer and rinse in cold water which stops the cooking process. You finish the green beans in a sauté pan with some butter, chopped garlic and salt and pepper. Toss on a few chopped walnuts and enjoy.

 

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans, washed and trimmed

1 tablespoon butter

3 chopped garlic cloves

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Salt and pepper

 

Preparation:

Bring a large steamer up to a boil and add the green beans. Steam the green beans until they become soft to the bite, about 10 minutes. If you like your green beans a little crunchy, pull off the steamer a couple of minutes early. Once cooked to your satisfaction, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

 

Heat a 12" sauté pan to medium. Add the butter and let melt. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. If the pan is too hot the garlic will burn, so don't rush it. Add the green beans, a quick grind of salt and pepper and toss. Turn the heat up to high and sauté the green beans until they reach serving temp.

 

To serve, place a portion of green beans on a serving plate. Toss on the chopped walnuts and finish with a grind of salt and pepper.   

Eggplant & Zucchini Parmesan with Lemon Parsley Pasta

I didn't make this recipe up, but I wish I did. This is really one of the best meals I've made in a long time. This is not terribly difficult, but time consuming. You got to give this one a try! 

 

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant
1 large zucchini
2 egg whites
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 cup Italian Parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Salt and pepper
 

Preparation:

Use a vegetable peeler and peel the eggplant and then slice into 3/4" thick pieces. Next, take the zucchini and slice at an angle about 1/2" thick.

 

Next, prepare the breading for the vegetables. Take a shallow dish like a glass pie pan and mix the egg whites. Take a second shallow dish and add the panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.

 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a baking pan and cover with aluminum foil. Take the eggplant and zucchini slices and dredge in the egg whites and then in the bread crumb mixture and place on the baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes turning once after ten minutes. After 20 minutes take some marinara sauce and cover the eggplant and zucchini. Put some shredded mozzarella on top of the sauce and bake another 15 minutes.

 

While the parmesan is baking, start the lemon parsley pasta by cooking your pasta in a large stock pot filled with salted water. Cook the pasta to al dente, firm to the bite. While the pasta is cooking, grate the rind of the lemon and then juice the lemon. Lastly, rough chop some parsley.

 

When the pasta is done, drain and place the pasta in a large sauté pan. Add the olive oil, lemon rind, lemon juice and parsley. Heat the pan to medium high and toss the pasta and prepare to serve.

 

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate. Take the eggplant and zucchini parmesan out of the oven and place two slices of eggplant and one zucchini on the plate. Garnish the dish with chopped Italian parsley and fresh ground black pepper.

Grilled Tomato's

Here's one of my favorite sides to serve with steak. I cook this on an indoor grill pan with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, perfect!

Ingredients:
2 beef steak tomato's
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Heat an indoor grill pan to medium high. Slice the top and bottom off the tomato's and then slice into 3 pieces about 3/4" thick. Brush on some olive oil, grind on some salt and pepper and place the tomato's on the grill pan. You want to grill the tomato's so they are cooked on the outside, but firm in the middle, this should take about 5 minute per side.

 

To serve, place the grilled tomato's on a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley.

Sautéed Garlic Eggplant

One of my goals of my blog is to have  many eggplant recipes because they are so good and so good for you. Here is just a straight up sautéed garlic eggplant recipe, but the key to cooking sautéed eggplant is that you add the garlic at the end of the cooking process so the garlic doesn't burn.

 

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplant

6 cloves crushed garlic

1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes

 

Preparation:

Peel the eggplant and cut into 3/4" cubes. Add the avocado oil to a 12' sauté pan and then the eggplant and toss to mix in the oil. Cover and cook the eggplant on medium stirring every few minutes so all the sides of the eggplant get browned. The eggplant actually takes longer than you think cook, about 20 minutes.

 

After 15 minutes, add the crushed garlic and mix well. Continue to cook the eggplant for another 5 minutes stirring regularly and you're done.

 

To serve, place the eggplant on a serving dish and garnish with red pepper flakes, finely chopped Italian parsley and salt and pepper to taste.  

 

Garlic and Red Pepper Flake Sautéed Asparagus

Here is a quick and simple preparation for asparagus that's so good. The key to this dish is to cook the asparagus half way and then add the garlic and red pepper. By doing this the garlic and pepper won't over cook and become bitter or burnt.

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus

4 garlic cloves

Pinch red pepper flakes

Preparation:
Cut the asparagus at an angle into 3/4" pieces. Heat a 10" sauté pan to medium high and when hot add 1 table spoon avocado oil. The reason I like avocado oil is that it's every bit as healthy for you as olive oil, but it has a higher burn temp so it works better for  sautéing.

Cook the asparagus for 5 minutes or until the asparagus starts to soften. Add the crushed garlic and red pepper. Sauté another couple of minute and serve.

Rappini aka Broccoli Raab

I'm at the store and I see this bunch of greens I've never seen before called Rappini. Looked like broccoli and greens and I tasted the leaf and it was very bitter, so I bought some to give a try. When I got home I looked online and found that rappini s also called Broccoli Raab which I have heard of. I chopped it up and sautéed with garlic and it was awesome, I'm so glad to have tried a new vegetable.

 

Ingredients:
1 bunch rappini
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 -3 chopped garlic cloves
Salt and Pepper


Preparation:
Take a 12" sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the olive oil and chopped garlic to the sauté pan and cook for one minute just to soften up the garlic. Rough chop the rappini and add to sauté pan with 1/4 cup water. Cover the rappini and steam cook. Once all the water is evaporated the rappini is done. Salt and pepper the rappini and serve.

Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios, Lemon and Parmesan

I love Brussels sprouts and am always looking for another way to prepare them. I saw this method on a Bobby Flay cooking show and thought I'd give it a try. Fantastic...

 

Ingredients:

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 lemon
1/8 cup shelled pistachios
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Heat a 12" sauté pan to medium high heat. Take the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half. Add  the olive oil to the sauté pan and place the Brussels sprouts flat side down. Give the Brussels sprouts a grind of salt and pepper. Cover the sauté pan and let the Brussels sprouts sauté until they have a nice deep golden brown char on the one side. This should take about 20 minutes over medium to medium high heat. Check the sprouts often to ensure they're not burning. Adjust the heat accordingly, a little higher if they're not browning and a little lower if they're browning up too fast.

 

When the Brussels sprouts are finished cooking, add the juice from 1 lemon and pistachios and you're done.

 

To serve, place the Brussels sprouts on a plate and top with a drizzle of olive oil, grated parmesan cheese and a grind of salt and pepper.

Tuscan Style Sautéed Shredded Zucchini

I called this dish Tuscan Style because of the olive oil, garlic, grated parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes which is common with Tuscan dishes, but it isn't really a dish from Tuscany. I did a Google search on Tuscan Style Sautéed Shredded Zucchini and got my own blog page, so I suppose I could claim this dish as my recipe, well maybe I will someday. Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite ways to prepare zucchini and you'll enjoy.

Ingredients:
3 large zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 crushed garlic
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper

Preparation:

Wash and cut off both ends of the zucchini. Take your box cheese grater and grate the zucchini. Take 3 or 4 paper towels and cover the zucchini and squeeze out as much moisture and the paper towels will soak up.

Heat a 12" sauté pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When hot add the garlic for 30 seconds and then add the zucchini. Add a grind of salt and sauté the zucchini tossing occasionally. You almost want to cook this like hash browns and get a good crisp on the zucchini and toss. When the zucchini is cooked after about 10 minutes, add half the parmesan cheese and a grind of salt and pepper. Finish the dish by topping with the remaining parmesan cheese and pinch of red pepper flakes.