A Green Bean ain't no Plain Jane

Just look at these beauties!

 

I'm one of those people who (firmly) believes that every plate must be rounded out. Balanced, if you will.  By this I mean, there simply must be something green on every plate. If not, I go a little crazy.  Have you ever seen photos in magazines of salmon and lentils? I love salmon.  I love lentils.  But a plate of salmon and lentils without something green? I can't even make this appetizing in my mind with no green.


Because of my green compulsion, green beans make a very regular appearance in our house. The beauty of green beans is that they are good for you, they are pretty neutral, they look pretty and they can play many roles.  Kids love them, adults love them and you can use them in a zillion ways.  But I think many families ignore green beans because (at least in the South) all they know is to boil them and maybe add a little salt.  Wake up!  The green bean is one of the most versatile vegetables I know.  You can do everything with them.  At the risk of sounding like Bubba Blue from "Forrest Gump," you can boil them, steam them, poach them, saute them, roast them, put 'em in a casserole, pickle 'em, make a salad out of them, etc, etc, etc.

Which brings me to tonight.  I was making simple grilled steaks, baked Yukon gold potatoes, salad and green beans.  I just got some "haricots verts" from Costco on Sunday.  <<It's funny that en Francais, "haricots verts" means "green beans."  But in America, "haricots verts" means "fancy little green beans." >> Whatever, I love them no matter what you call them, in any language.  Tonight I wanted my haricots to have a little "je ne sais quois" so here's what I came up with.  Since true French haricots don't need much cooking time (they are slimmer), I decided to gently simmer them in a vegetable bouillon with garlic and onion.   

Just chopped up about half an onion; whatever amount you want of course!

1 1/2 cups of water with two veggie bouillon cubes

Onions and garlic simmering in the bouillon

Yeah, I quit chopping garlic a long time ago; haricots verts from Costco

And, then just simmered for about 15 minutes and they were awesome!

Ridiculously simple, but yowza! I was really pleased with the result.  The flavor and crisp, cleanness of the green bean wasn't lost, but merely enhanced just ever so much by the other flavors.  I'm definitely making our G.B.'s this way more often.

Thanksgiving Newbies

Despite how much of a traditional Southerner I tend to be, there are times that changes and new things have their place.  For instance, this year is the first that Neil, Vivi and I had Thanksgiving all to ourselves.  Yep...Neil's dad and significant other were in Charleston and my parents went to Florida with my sister and her husband to visit his family.  So, the three of us were left here in Columbia...left to our own devices.

Several years ago, Neil was proclaimed the official turkey king of the family.  He brines it overnight then roasts it slowly.  The result is a ridiculously tender & juicy turkey that tastes fantastic. Frankly, until I tasted a turkey by Neil, I didn't like it.  I'd eat it because that's what you do at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it was never a favorite and certainly not something I would have requested.  But all that changed when I tried his. So, as traditions go, Neil's brined turkey is simply what we do around here.  

But, since it was just the three of us this year, I decided to change things up a bit. You see, it's not always easy to sneak a new dish in on a holiday because the rest of the family looks at you incredulously and asks something like "What is this?" even though it's freakin' obvious that it is still, in fact, a sweet potato.  In 1988, I was living with a French family for a semester.  My family called me and they all passed the phone around to say hello to me.  Well, as two members of the family informed me, my mom made the sweet potatoes that year, instead of Aunt Jennie.  They were not pleased.  Not one damn bit. My Uncle Tommy actually sounded pissed off about it.

So, as you can see, this was my golden opportunity to try out some new twists on our Thanksgiving meal.  First, you simply must have dressing.  I cheated a bit by buying the ol' Pepperidge Farm dressing in the blue bag.  After all, this is what my mom has always used.  (Tradition) But, I took a few recipes as inspiration and jazzed it up by using sweet potatoes, onion, thyme, bacon and a touch of O.J.  

Bacon cookin' up!

Gotta have sweet potatoes

Finished product!

Next, you have to have green vegetables.  Viv loves green beans, so I just steamed those.  Then, I added my piece de resistance...Brussels sprouts slaw.  I got this from www.BonAppetit.com.  I will say again to those of you who turn your noses up at the sprout, open the mind and try this one out.  I am waiting to be hungry again so I can have a plate of this stuff!  

Shredded Brussels tossed with a lemon/Dijon dressing and maple glazed pecans. To round out our meal, we made mashed potatoes (I've said it before & will again...if you don't own a ricer, go out tomorrow and get a Black Friday deal on one) to go with Neil's gravy and rockstar turkey. 

Traditions are important to me and pretty much everyone else in this Southern corner of the world.  Long live the traditions!  But, don't be afraid to introduce some new characters to the show once in awhile.  There's nothing like my Aunt Jennie's sweet potatoes, Neil's turkey and a nice, gooey green bean casserole, to be sure.  However, Brussels sprout slaw and weird dressing can shake things up (in a good way) from time to time. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!   

Celebration Dinner

Today I decided to make some ice cream for my sweet baby.  As I rounded a corner in Publix, I heard a kid say, "hey Mrs. Brown" and it was in fact one of Viv's kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Brown. We chatted and she clued me in that Viv had been chosen as today's "Student of the Day."  She swore me to secrecy and I headed to the dairy aisle.

Armed with the necessary ingredients, I headed home to complete this ice cream mission.  My child is one of those who actually loves and chooses vanilla over crazy, wacky, chocolaty, gooey flavors.  But, to jazz it up a little, I used my expensive vanilla and mini chocolate chips.  I was so excited about this little surprise I could hardly contain myself!  Oh yeah, that mom of the year trophy is gonna look good on my bookshelf.

After an excited recount of the Student of the Day activities, she had a kick-ass karate class (no pun intended.  Well, ok, maybe I intended that.)  Then we came home and made coconut chicken, mashed sweet potatoes and steamed green beans.  I gotta tell you...I am a sucker for coconut food.  Shrimp, curries, pina coladas, you name it.  This is so easy to make so I decided I'd share it with you.  It can be done very quickly which makes weeknights a little less hectic.  

Coconut chicken (or shrimp)

• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, toasted
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 egg whites, slightly beaten

Cut chicken breast meat into chunks or peel and devein your shrimp (about 24 jumbos).  Mix coconut, cornstarch, salt and sugar together in a shallow dish.  (If you're not cooking for kids, adding a little cayenne here provides a nice little kick.)  Dip meat into egg white and then into the coconut mixture, pressing to adhere. 

Add 2 Tbs veg. oil to a baking dish.  Place prepared chicken in a single layer.  Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the coconut browns up.  Yum, yum, eat 'em up.

My mom cooks better than your mom

 As you can see from the Vivver, she was diggin' her meal and I'm pleased to report that she ate it all.  Afterwards, we had our homemade chocolate chip ice cream which then sent her off into a sweet dreamland.  Try this recipe when you want to shake up dinner with something new and easy.  I hope you like it as much as we do!  Bon Appetit!