Welcome to the World's First Great Big Vegetable Challenge! Six years ago we went on a vegetable journey of a lifetime. A 7 year year old boy named Freddie and his mother faced up to the challenge of turning him from a Vegetable-Phobic into a boy who will eat and even enjoy some of life's leafier pleasures. We ate through the alphabet of vegetables...and returned to tell the tale. Join our Great Big Veg Challenge!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
B for beans
It is B for beans next. A bit of a catch-all category but we look forward to your ideas. Send us any bean recipes please.... Thanks!
How about a saugage and bean + potatoe wedges bake:
Serves 4: *Grill pack of 8 sausages until cooked. *Spread into a single layer in the bottom of a roasting tin. *Spread a can of baked beans in tomato sauce and a can of drained mixed beans in brine over the top. *Top with a single layer of frozen potatos wedges (or make your own if you have time) *Bake in moderate oven until the wedges are cooked trough.
Well, you could make a chilli con carne which uses kidney beans
A spinach and chickpea curry
or make a tuna salad with butter beans. : little gem lettuce leaves, red onion, tomato, cucumber and butter beans with a vinagrette dressing, maybe some avocado too.
I remember when I was a kid my dad always added the beans from the tin, and they always had a slight sheen of slime over them from the liquid in the tin. It took me a while to get over this, so give 'em a good rinse before you serve it!
Ever tried having butterbean 'mash'. I sometimes have them like that - lightly crushed with a bit of garlic, cream and thyme as an alternative to a carb side dish.
If it is kidney beans, here is my favourite which is based on a Brazillian friend's recipe: Ingredients One tin unslated and unsweetend kidney beans one onion, thinly sliced 2 or 3 cloves of garlic-thinly sliced not squeezed one tin of unsalted/unsweetend chopped tomatoes one orange pepper quartered then thinly sliced tom puree and mixed herbs
Method fry onion and garlic in olive oil until soft then add sliced pepper and fry until soft add tin of toms and herbs then using the tom tin half fill with water and add that to the pan add puree to taste (isue about one tablespoon) add beans and some ground pepper. simmer for 20 mins. I like this with rice and maybe a slice of bacon on top and green salad. Looks great in nice pots when having friends round for dinner...or if the kids are playing cowboys!
I happened upon your vegetable blog today and loved it. I have a list of favorite food blogs, and I've added yours to my list because the recipes look so wonderful. I wish my mom had been so creative with vegetables when I was a kid. I live outside of Chicago with my husband and 3 crazy cats. I'm almost 30. I've been to London once on my way to France. My favorite place was Stonehenge and Westminster Abbey--I love history.
I have a favorite green beans (haricots verte) recipe that I thought you'd like to try. It's from Cooking Light magazine and is so easy to do. The leftovers are also delicious--my husband and I fight over them. I've served this to confirmed green bean haters who loved it and asked for seconds. When I make this for company I double the batch because they are gone so quickly.
Green Beans with Bacon-Basalmic Vinaigrette 2 pounds green beans, trimmed 2 bacon slices (American bacon is smoked, but you could use diced pancetta) 1/4 cup minced shallots 3 tablespoons coarsly chopped almonds (I use slivered ones since I'm clumsy with a knife) 1/4 cup white basalmic (the white looks prettier for company, but it's hard to find. I use regular basalmic) 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1. Cook beans in boiling water for 8 minutes or just until crisp-tender (if you prefer slightly softer beans, that's fine). Drain well, set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and crumble. Add shallots to drippings to bacon drippings in pan; saute 1 minute. Add almonds; saute 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and cool slightly. Add vinegar and sugar to pan (careful, the vinegar fumes can be strong, stand back) and stir until sugar dissolves. Add crumbled bacon.
3. Toss beans in pan with vinaigrette until coated.
It is B for beans next. A bit of a catch-all category but we look forward to your ideas. Send us any bean recipes please....
How about a saugage and bean + potatoe wedges bake:
ReplyDeleteServes 4:
*Grill pack of 8 sausages until cooked.
*Spread into a single layer in the bottom of a roasting tin.
*Spread a can of baked beans in tomato sauce and a can of drained mixed beans in brine over the top.
*Top with a single layer of frozen potatos wedges (or make your own if you have time)
*Bake in moderate oven until the wedges are cooked trough.
Good luck with the beans.
Chocoshopoholic
Well, you could make a chilli con carne which uses kidney beans
ReplyDeleteA spinach and chickpea curry
or make a tuna salad with butter beans. : little gem lettuce leaves, red onion, tomato, cucumber and butter beans with a vinagrette dressing, maybe some avocado too.
I remember when I was a kid my dad always added the beans from the tin, and they always had a slight sheen of slime over them from the liquid in the tin. It took me a while to get over this, so give 'em a good rinse before you serve it!
Ever tried having butterbean 'mash'. I sometimes have them like that - lightly crushed with a bit of garlic, cream and thyme as an alternative to a carb side dish.
ReplyDeleteIf it is kidney beans, here is my favourite which is based on a Brazillian friend's recipe:
ReplyDeleteIngredients
One tin unslated and unsweetend kidney beans
one onion, thinly sliced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic-thinly sliced not squeezed
one tin of unsalted/unsweetend chopped tomatoes
one orange pepper quartered then thinly sliced
tom puree and mixed herbs
Method
fry onion and garlic in olive oil until soft then
add sliced pepper and fry until soft
add tin of toms and herbs
then using the tom tin half fill with water and add that to the pan
add puree to taste (isue about one tablespoon)
add beans and some ground pepper.
simmer for 20 mins.
I like this with rice and maybe a slice of bacon on top and green salad. Looks great in nice pots when having friends round for dinner...or if the kids are playing cowboys!
Dear Freddie, Charlotte, and Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteI happened upon your vegetable blog today and loved it. I have a list of favorite food blogs, and I've added yours to my list because the recipes look so wonderful. I wish my mom had been so creative with vegetables when I was a kid. I live outside of Chicago with my husband and 3 crazy cats. I'm almost 30. I've been to London once on my way to France. My favorite place was Stonehenge and Westminster Abbey--I love history.
I have a favorite green beans (haricots verte) recipe that I thought you'd like to try. It's from Cooking Light magazine and is so easy to do. The leftovers are also delicious--my husband and I fight over them. I've served this to confirmed green bean haters who loved it and asked for seconds. When I make this for company I double the batch because they are gone so quickly.
Green Beans with Bacon-Basalmic Vinaigrette
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
2 bacon slices (American bacon is smoked, but you could use diced pancetta)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons coarsly chopped almonds (I use slivered ones since I'm clumsy with a knife)
1/4 cup white basalmic (the white looks prettier for company, but it's hard to find. I use regular basalmic)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1. Cook beans in boiling water for 8 minutes or just until crisp-tender (if you prefer slightly softer beans, that's fine). Drain well, set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and crumble. Add shallots to drippings to bacon drippings in pan; saute 1 minute. Add almonds; saute 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and cool slightly. Add vinegar and sugar to pan (careful, the vinegar fumes can be strong, stand back) and stir until sugar dissolves. Add crumbled bacon.
3. Toss beans in pan with vinaigrette until coated.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size 3/4 cup)
88 calories, 4.6 mg fat, 44mg sodium, 2.5 g fiber
I hope you enjoy the rest of your vegetable challenge. I will be coming back to see what else you're cooking. Have a great week.