Recipe #26 - Snow Mountain Green Beans

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I needed a side for my Recipe #27- Parmesan-Potato-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Tomato-Zucchini "Salsa". Green beans were my first choice. However, I haven't been having very good luck with the green bean recipes. So, I thought I'd give it another go.

This recipe I found at AllRecipes.com. The name was what caught my attention, yes, I thought it was cute. Yet, it seemed very bland. So I took the concept and added a little twist.

Begin by rinsing and then snapping off the ends of the fresh green beans. Using a steamer, place the beans in a large pot with about an inch of water at the bottom. Bring to boil for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter and oil in a pan over medium heat. Once melted, saute garlic and shallots until shallots are transparent.

Drain green beans and add to pan with garlic and shallot mixture. Add salt and pepper. Stir for 3-4 minutes. To serve sprinkle with feta cheese.

Once again, not my favorite, but everyone else loved them. I'm still on the search for the best green bean recipe!

Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 7
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh green beans
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra vigin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium sized shallots, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup feta cheese

Recipe #4 - Green Pastitsio

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"Pastitsio is a Greek baked pasta dish traditionally made with ground lamb or beef, often with bits of spiced or cured meat mixed in – this is a heavy Greek alternative to Lasagna Bolognese. In this make-ahead recipe, Rach uses an equally traditional phyllo tart filling to lighten up the end result. Though it remains rich, it's not heavy – envision a well-made spinach or vegetable lasagna."

I wanted to make a vegetarian dish this time and I found this recipe off the Rachel Ray website. I bought all the ingredients from Whole Food Market and everything was organic except for the milk and butter. I substituted the Ziti noodles for whole wheat Ziti noodles (which I, personally, like better).

This one took me a lot longer than I was expecting to make. The prep alone took close to two hours. I think that since all the veggies were fresh and I had to cut them all up individually, it made the process a little more difficult. I had three pans going at once: one for the sauce, one for the noodles, and one for the veggies. Then I throw it all together in a casserole dish.

Put all together - before baked in the oven

Since this is a make ahead recipe, I put it all together tonight and will throw it in the oven for lunch tomorrow. Will letcha know the results!

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The Result:

Put it in for lunch today. Delicious! I had two servings. 

Rating: 8
Time: ~2 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1 pound ziti or long, hollow pasta tubes, such as Buon Italia or Greek macaroni #2*
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
1 large or 2 medium bundles chard, stemmed and chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill leaves
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 brick Greek feta in water, drained (about 1 cup crumbled feta)
1 cup freshly shredded or grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Salt