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Showing posts from January, 2011
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These are a great easy side dish when you don't know how long the main course is going to take to cook. The green beans are trimmed; the red bell peppers are cut into strips. Boil the green beans for three minutes, rinse with cold water and set them aside. This will take about 15-20 minutes if you are slow at prepping.  LEAVE THE GREEN BEANS AND PEPPERS ALONE UNTIL FIVE MINUTES BEFORE YOU WANT TO SERVE DINNER Then, dab 2 Tbsp of canola oil into a skillet. Turn the burner to medium-high, wait for the oil to heat up and throw in the peppers and green beans. Sprinkle them with a little soy sauce. After two minutes, turn off the heat, add 2 Tbsp sesame oil, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top (not pictured) and serve. Voila! 

Martha Stewart's Mediterranean Tuna Noodle Casserole

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When my hubby had a sore throat, this was a real treat because it was smooth going down and easy to swallow. I thought it was a little bland, but some freshly ground pepper gave it a nice little kick. Ingredients 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for baking dishes Coarse salt and ground pepper 1 pound wide egg noodles 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 5 cups whole milk 4 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in olive oil, drained 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and thickly sliced 5 scallions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until 2 minutes short of al dente; drain, and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add bell peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirri

Regarding Beans and their various forms...

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I am so conflicted about the issue of beans. Canned beans are so easy and convenient , but they are more expensive and full of salt. Dried beans are supposed to be so healthy for you , but every time I cook them it take more than three hours. According to what's cooking america , "The best way [to soak beans] is to put them in cold water; bring them gently to a boil and then with saucepan off the heat, allow them to remain in the water for 1 to 2 hours only." The package had similar directions, but after an hour of soaking, and another hour of simmering, I still had crunchy beans . I had to basically boil the beans for an hour to get any effect at all, adding cups of water at a time. I think I will continue to use both dry and canned and try to make up my own directions for  soaking beans without leaving them overnight.... Ingredients: Servings:4 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 -3 cloves garlic 2 (14 1/2 ounce) ca