Soy Wax Beans with Sesame Seeds

I don't think I had a wax bean until my mother-in-law handed me a big bag of beans (we also walked away with garden fresh kale, cabbage, and cucumbers). I now had to figure out what to do with them. After looking through a dozen recipes, I finally just chose one, nearly at random. It must have been fate because Eric and I devoured our entire supply of wax beans and immediately wanted more so we can make these again.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 pound wax beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pinch ground ginger
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, packed
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss the wax beans with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until beans are tender and browned in spots. Toss beans halfway through.

Mix together soy sauce, ginger, lemon, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add roasted beans and toss. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Soy wax beans with Melt-your-mouth chicken

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Veggie Recipes:
Parmesan Veggie Crisps
A Basic Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Baked Potato Soup
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake 
Baked Parmesan Tomatoes
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole  

Slower Cooker: Alfredo Green Bean Casserole

This is another recipe I tested out on my parents over Memorial weekend. My mom was a little skeptical of this dish. She had never tasted Alfredo sauce and when she tried a bit, she wasn't impressed. But I told her to trust me. Alfredo sauce is great for picking up other flavors like garlic or roasted red pepper, which she loves. Well, after sampling this casserole, she said she's never going back to your typical green bean casserole.

This recipes comes from Pillsbury with a few small changes.

Ingredients:
2 pound green beans (fresh, frozen, or canned. I used canned, drained)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers (jarred or homemade), cut in strips*
1 1/4 cups Alfredo sauce (I prefer Bertolli, never Ragu)
1 cup water chestnut, drained and sliced (optional)**
1 cup French fried onions
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Whenever I use the slow cooker, I always spray the inside with cooking spray. It makes cleaning it so much easier. So spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.

Add the beans, water chestnuts, Alfredo sauce, pepper, and roasted red peppers to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours, stirring after an hour and a half. Before serving, stir in the French Fried onions.

*Jarred roasted red peppers are so expensive so I make my own roasted red peppers in the oven. My mom thought I was nuts, making my own roasted red peppers. She even came into the kitchen to watch me make them because she didn't believe it was as easy as I said. I recommend making your own using the link above.

**I am the only person I know who likes water chestnuts. So I left them out of this recipe. However, I would have loved to have them in the casserole.

I can't wait to make this casserole for Eric's family, especially his mom. She loves red pepper just like my mom and this dish has such a prominent, delicious red pepper flavor. Eric does not find red peppers as exciting and tasty as the rest of us so I might had crumbled bacon topping to the top of the casserole just to entice him to try it.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Sausage and Bean Casserole

I just have to say it again: I love all that liquor, wine, and beer does to food, whether I'm making a dessert like Bailey's cupcakes or an entree like pasta in vodka sauce. And this recipe is just one more reason to love cooking with alcohol. The red wine in this adds such depth and flavor to a rather simple bean and sausage dish. The casserole was quite a hit with everyone in Eric's family--except for Eric, but only because he doesn't really like beans. He did, however, pick out all the sausage to eat.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sourdough breadcrumbs
kosher salt
black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound sweet sausage
1/2 cup red onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 cup dry red wine
 2 15.5-ounce cans of Great Northern beans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss breadcrumbs with salt, pepper, and thyme. Set aside.

In a large, deep skillet, cook the sausage, onions, and garlic on medium-high heat until the sausage begins to brown and the onions caramelize, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add tomato sauce, broth, wine, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and add beans. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs turn a golden brown.

Enjoy!

~Krissy