Garlic Green Beans

July 26, 2015Dinner, vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, SidesTove Balle-Pedersen2 Comments

For the longest time I have been making a bean salad with the same ingredients. It is a really easy salad that pairs perfectly with simmer foods. But instead of boiling water to boil the beans in, we now have to conserve water, because of the severe drought here in California, so why not just cook the beans in oil, and season the beans. This must be a win-win situation.

I like to just heat my beans through without getting them soft and soaky. I want my beans to be crispy and have somewhat of a bite.

Ingredients:

300 g fresh green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Break off the ends (tops and tails) of the beans. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the beans and cook them over high heat, until they start to get some color, and they are heated through. Remove from heat. Season the beans with garlic, salt and pepper.

Pour the beans into a warm serving dish, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Quinoa Slaw with Almond & Ginger Dressing

June 29, 2015BBQ, Dinner, Salad, Sides, vegan, Vegetables, VegetarianTove Balle-PedersenComment

Summertime is grilling season, and I love grilling. I'm always on the look out for new sides to serve with grilled meats.

Colorful, healthy and crunchy, and definitely a new go-to side for the summer BBQ's. And a perfect addition for our 4th of July.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Quinoa:

180 g (1 cup) uncooked quinoa
4 dl (1½ cups) water
salt (to taste)

Salad:

½ small green cabbage, thinly sliced
½ small red cabbage, thinly sliced
10-15 small scallions, finely chopped
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño, minced (optional)
70 g (½ cup) almonds, chopped
salt to taste

Dressing:

100 g (⅓ cup) almond butter (I use the fresh grinded almond butter from Whole Foods)
50 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves
about 2-inch (6 cm) fresh ginger, peeled
2 limes, the juice from
2 tablespoons water, to get the right texture
1 tablespoon agave syrup
salt to taste

Directions:

Quinoa:

Rinse the quinoa. Bring quinoa and the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt to taste. Let the quinoa stand, covered, for 5 minutes. If any more water remains, drain it. Let the quinoa cool.

Dressing:

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend it until smooth. Add water if needed to get the right creamy consistency.

Mix all the ingredients and dressing to a large bowl and dress the slaw. Season with salt to taste. Serve this slaw with you favorite grilled protein or vegetables.

Enjoy!

Smashed Chickpea Salad

May 27, 2015Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Sides, vegan, VegetarianTove Balle-PedersenComment

I love chickpeas, they are very filling and full of protein (9g/100g*) and dietary fiber (8g/100g*). Like lentils, chickpeas is easily flavored while cooking and by what ever you dress it with.

I really like the tanginess and the specks of salty olives and chili peppers. Overall this chickpea salad is a simple, quick weekday side. I served it with beer can chicken, an all-time favorite in my house.

This recipe is adapted from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook.

Serves 3.

Ingredients:

450 g cooked, cooled chickpeas
100 g green olives, pitted and thinly sliced
3 small pickled chilies, sliced
1 handful Italian parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon freeze dried buckthorn
35 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:

Soak and cook the chickpeas according to instruction on the package, or like Chickpea and Carrot Salad a la Thomas Keller. If you are in a hurry use 2 cans of chickpeas, drain and rinse them.

Mix all but the olive oil and smash the salad with a potato masher, until you have a coarse mixture, with chunky pieces. Dress the salad with the Olive oil, and season it with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Enjoy!

* In the boiled chickpeas.

Quick Butter Roasted Carrot Coins

January 26, 2015Dinner, Sides, VegetablesTove Balle-PedersenComment

These carrot coins are one of my favorite go-to vegetables for a quick weeknight dinner. They are easy to make, they are crunchy and filled with flavor. This time I found some rainbow carrots and used them, this made for a beautiful display of color.

You can use a lot of different herbs and spices to flavor the carrots, normally I use the same spices I use in the rest of the meal, that day.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8-10 carrots, scrubbed and ends trimmed
1 tablespoon butter or oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 sprigs thyme, leaves only

Directions:

Cut the carrots in bite-sized coins. Heat the butter in a skillet, Add garlic and thyme when the butter is melted, but before it is browned. Stir the garlic to flavor the butter. Add the carrot coins and cook while stirring until the carrots are softened, but still have a bite. I cooked them for 2-3 minutes.

Sprinkle with some more thyme and serve with your dinner.

Enjoy!