Pinenut Encrusted Green Beans

 I am in a vegetable slump in my house. 

Partly due to the facts that:

1.  I am a picky eater. Think that kid you hate your children to invite over to dinner because they only pick at everything on the plate.
2. I get sick of things easily, especially food.
3. I eat a low carbohydrate diet, and so vegetables such as: corn, peas, and potatoes, which the kiddos like; are not an option. 

One vegetable I love is green beans. They can not be frozen or canned though, only fresh. They are an affordable vegetable, we bought ours last night for $1.20/lb. and work well with a variety of flavors.

Here is a green bean that got rave reviews on our table last night, and that I hope will do the same for you.


Ingredients:

• water 
• a large pot with a lid
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 lb fresh green beans, ends snipped off (perfect project for a wiggly child)
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 c. pinenuts, chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (yes, again)

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the beans, cover and let cook at fast simmer for about 5 - 7 minutes until nearly done. Drain.

Return the hot pot to the stove. Melt the butter on MEDIUM heat. Add the pine nuts and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring constantly until the butter browns and the pine nuts turn mostly golden or brown. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the green beans and the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine. Add the pepper and additional salt if needed.

What's for dinner? November 30, 2011

So many of us are busy with kids, work, school, volunteering, and a myriad of other things that planning a menu for the family every night can be the last thing anyone wants to do at 11:00 at night.

I am going to try a "What's for dinner?" segment on South 35th. There will likely not be any life changing recipes or ideas on here, and most of the main entrees will be geared toward easy, affordable, and low carbohydrate recipes.

If you have a goof recipe, or link to one, I would love to hear it. :)

Main entree:

Crock Pot Beef Fajitas
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. beef flank steak
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
• 6 low carb tortillas
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• any extras your family likes such as: cheese, sour cream, olives, and so on. 

1.Trim fat from meat and cut into 6 pieces.

2.In slow cooker combine onion, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Top with meat; add un-drained tomatoes.

3.Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. To heat tortillas, wrap them in foil and cook at 350 10-15 minutes.

4.Use a fork and shred meat in crock pot. Return meat to crock pot and stir in lime juice. Place shredded meat in tortillas and place all additional ingredients wanted on top.

Fruit:
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce for the kids with cinnamon and "just like brown sugar".

Vegetable:
Spinach and romaine salad with ranch and bacon bits. 

Sweet:
Sugar free generic pudding with homemade whipped cream. Pudding is made with unsweetened coconut milk and the whipped cream is simply heavy whipping cream, some splenda, a tsp vanilla blended until smooth and creamy. 

Mushroom Philly Cheese Steak

Winter is horrible for my diet. As soon as the cold winds start blowing, all I want to do is curl up on the couch with a warm plate of gooey cheesy hot food and hibernate until it is above 60. Unfortunately, that is not really an option for me, and I am trying to eat as healthy as I can before all of the Thanksgiving/Christmas dinners. 

This morning I was craving a Philly sandwich. I decided to try to make a healthy low carb version in the crock pot as I have been feeling extremely lazy lately. 

This is fast, filling, and healthy :)

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 lb. Flank Steak
• 1 8 oz. package sliced mushrooms
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cups beef stock/broth
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• Mayo to taste
• Sliced provolone
• Buns/wraps of your choice

1. In a large skillet, heat up the oil and brown the steak on both sides. 
2. Meanwhile, in the crock pot, place sliced onion, seasoning, and mushrooms. 
3. Place meat on top and add broth. 
4. Cover and cook on High for 5 hours or Low for 10. 
5. Shred meat with two forks and serve on bread of your choice with mayo and cheese. 

Low Carb Chicken Soup

Before posting this recipe, let me first off confess that I am not the world's biggest fan of soup. I never crave it, order it when we are out to eat, or stock some in our cupboards for emergencies. 

BUT, the other day we had our first snow fall. Huge flakes came tumbling down and for the hour before it all melted, everything outside was a beautiful cold wonderland. 

And I wanted soup. 

Weird, but the results were delicious! Best part? Everyone liked it, even little J....who is allergic to all things veggie :).

Ingredients:

-10 cups chicken stock (or 10 bouillon cubes with 10 cups boiling water)

-2 large chicken breast, cut into piece sizes your family prefers

-4 oz. can mushrooms, drained

-4 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms (this is optional, my family loves mushrooms so they are in almost everything I make)

-1 onion, chopped

-4 carrots, chopped

-4 celery stalk, chopped

-1 bag of cauliflower, chopped (I did this in the food processor to get a fine grain like texture)

-1/2 c. butter + a couple tsp. 

-1 small jicama, chopped (optional, but adds a nice faux potato taste and texture to the soup)

-2 Tbsp. curry

-salt and pepper to taste

Step 1:

In food processor fitted with a blade chop cauliflower into fine particles. 

Step2: 

In large soup pot saute the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms in the butter.

Step 3:

Add curry and cook for 3-4 more minutes.

Step 4:

Add chicken stock and simmer over low-med heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 5:

Add the rest of your ingredients and simmer for 20-25 more minutes. 

Enjoy!