Tag: Bean

Lightened Up Green Bean Casserole with Shallot Crumb Topping

Not your Momma’s Green Bean Casserole!

Confession: I strongly dislike mushy green beans.

Year after year I’ve been asked to post a lighter green bean casserole, and I’ve opted out because the thought of mushy green beans in canned soup with fried onions just doesn’t do it for me. I’m very particular about how I like my green beans, I love them roasted so they get a little browned^[1], cooked until tender crisp. I like them sauteed with a little garlic and oil^[2], I even love them in a salad^[3]… but frozen or out of a can… I can do without them.

But, seeing how so many of you love green bean casserole, and after getting a Williams Sonoma Catalog with a (not light) recipe inside, I was inspired to give this a try.

I blanched my green beans for 2 minutes so they wouldn’t turn to mush. If you like your green beans soft, I would boil them for 5-7 minutes.

I made a mushroom sauce with milk and chicken stock instead of heavy cream. After tasting it, I thought it needed a little extra something, so I added some Pecorino Romano.

That fixed the flavor problem! Then came the topping, I wasn’t about to fry onions so I chopped up some shallots and decided to go with a toasted bread crumb topping instead. Next time I may add a little bacon to this (yes, there will be a next time). Put it in the oven and crossed my fingers. When it came out of the oven I served myself a plate and thought it was pretty good! In fact, I had to servings, but this was my lunch so I didn’t feel guilty.

Tips: Next time I make this I will cut the green beans in half, I think it would be easier to serve. Panko would work great in place of the bread crumbs. Adding a little bacon or pancetta to the crumbs would be delicious in my opinion. You can certainly halve this to feed a family of 4. Hope you enjoy!

Lightened Up Green Bean Casserole with Shallot Crumb Topping
Adapted from Williams Sonoma^[4]
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8 • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 160 • Fat: 6 g • Carb: 22 g • Fiber: 4 g • Protein: 7 g • Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 280.5 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

2 lbs green beans, cut in half, trimmed and washed

For the topping:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup shallots, finely diced
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tbsp grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh)

For the green beans:

1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup shallots, minced
16 oz sliced mushrooms, (I used cremini)
1/4 cup flour
1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock (or vegetable for vegetarian)
1 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:

Boil a large pot of water, when boiling add green beans and blanch for 2 minutes (or 6-8 minutes if you like them softer). Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop them from cooking.

Meanwhile make the topping, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium-low, add breadcrumbs, grated cheese and thyme; sauté until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, careful not to burn.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and sauté 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms, stir constantly for about a minute, then slowly add chicken stock, then milk. Bring to a low boil, and cook stirring occasionally until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in Romano cheese.

Add blanched green beens and mix well, season with salt and pepper as needed; pour into prepared baking dish.

Top with toasted bread crumbs and bake about 30 minutes.

References

^{^} roasted so they get a little browned (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} sauteed with a little garlic and oil (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} salad (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Williams Sonoma (www.williams-sonoma.com)

Incoming search terms:

Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili – A Super Food for a Super Cause

When ONE.org asked me to help raise awareness about their campaign
to fight chronic malnutrition, using the humble sweet
potato, I had one important question…if I agreed, would I get some kind of tote
bag?

When I was informed there was no tote bag, I decided to
check out their info anyway, and I’m very glad I did. While I was shocked to learn
that millions of children die each year from malnutrition, it was heartening to
learn what a huge difference this delicious “super-food” could make.

To help spread the word, I offer up this colorful, and very
tasty, roasted sweet potato and black bean chili. I really enjoyed this 100%
vegetarian version, and the extra step of roasting the potatoes not only
concentrated the sweet, earthy flavors, but gave the starchy chunks a
marvelously meaty texture.

Anyway, I’m going to sign off so I can go add “Helped Bono fight
childhood malnutrition” to my resume, but I sincerely hope you take a minute and check out
One.org for more information about this sweet potato campaign, as well as sign the nutrition petition. Thank you, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 lbs orange-fleshed sweet potatoes

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper, or to taste

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, sliced

1 tbsp cumin

3 tbsp Ancho chili powder, or other chili powder blends

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 can (28-oz) diced or crushed tomatoes

1 cup water, more as needed
1 tbsp corn meal

1 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa

2 cans (15-oz) black beans, drained, rinsed

cayenne to taste

sour cream and cilantro to garnish

Incoming search terms:

White Bean Soup with Kale and Turkey Italian Sausage

by Pam on October 4, 2012

We are finally having cooler weather here in Portland and since it was in the 60′s and very windy, I decided to make a pot of soup. After looking through my cupboards and refrigerator I found homemade chicken broth^[1], white beans, kale, a carrot, garlic, and a couple of Italian sausages. I loved the simplicity of this soup. No fancy herbs. No heavy cream. Just basic ingredients that when combined made an outstanding soup. We all loved it and enjoyed hearty bowls of soup for dinner. I love watching my kids eat the kale without any qualms… it does my heart good! I served this soup with my House Salad^[2] tossed with Fran’s Vinaigrette^[3] and some freshly baked bread for a delicious and healthy meal.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray then add the turkey Italian sausages. Cook on all sides, until cooked through, about 7-8 minutes in total. Slice the sausages down the center lengthwise then place back into the Dutch oven to cook on each side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the Dutch oven and let cool then dice into small bite sized pieces.

Add the olive oil to the pot then toss in the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, white beans, and chopped sausage. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cover with the lid and let the soup simmer for 45 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend a little bit of the soup to make it thicker. Add the kale and stir until well combined and let it cook for 1-2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and served topped with Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy.

Print^[4]

White Bean Soup with Kale and Turkey Italian Sausage

Yield: 6-8

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 60 min.

Total Time: 70 min.

Ingredients:

2 links of turkey Italian sausage, cooked, then diced
2 tsp of olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
5 cups of homemade chicken broth (see link above)
3 cans of white beans, drained & rinsed
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
2 cups of kale, chopped
Parmesan cheese, if desired

Directions:

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray then add the turkey Italian sausages. Cook on all sides, until cooked through, about 7-8 minutes in total. Slice the sausages down the center lengthwise then place back into the Dutch oven to cook on each side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the Dutch oven and let cool then dice into small bite sized pieces.

Add the olive oil to the pot then toss in the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, white beans, and chopped sausage. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cover with the lid and let the soup simmer for 45 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend a little bit of the soup to make it thicker. Add the kale and stir until well combined and let it cook for 1-2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and served topped with Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

References

^{^} homemade chicken broth (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} House Salad (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Fran’s Vinaigrette (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)