Green Beans with Tomatoes and Olives

Green Beans and Olives

Green Beans and Olives

Green Beans with Tomatoes and Olives

Most green bean preparations happen
very quickly. But these green beans slowly
braise with tomatoes to gently soften
the vegetable fibers and create a more
luscious mouthfeel. Red wine vinegar and
olives add sharpness and richness with a
minimum of calories.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 can (15 ounces) petite-cut diced
tomatoes, with juice

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon pitted chopped

Kalamata olives

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in the large nonstick

skillet over medium –high heat. Add

the onions and cook until soft, about

4 minutes. Add the garlic and green

beans and cook 1 minute.

2. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice

and the oregano. Reduce the heat to

medium-low, cover and simmer gently

until the green beans are tender, 15 to

20 minutes.

3. Stir in the vinegar, olives, and black pepper.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

February 22, 2010 | Filed Under Diet, Recipes, Shopping, Tips, food, health, weight loss | 1 Comment 

Mustard Vinaigrette (2)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups salad oil (see note)
  • ½ cup white wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1½ tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground white pepper (or freshly ground black pepper)

Preparation:

  1. Combine the mustard and vinegar in a glass or stainless steel bowl and whisk them together briefly.
  2. Place the mustard-vinegar mixture along with the oil and seasonings in a blender and mix for about 10 seconds or until fully combined.
  3. Serve right away, as the oil and vinegar will begin to separate as soon as you stop mixing.

Makes 1 pint of dressing.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

December 11, 2009 | Filed Under Recipes | Leave a Comment 

Mustard Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1 glove of garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
5-6 tablespoons oil (vegetable, corn, canola, olive or some combination)
pinch of dried parsley
pinch of dried thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

How to Make at Home :

In a clean jar or small bowl, add the vinegar, garlic, mustard and mix well. Slowly add the olive oil while either whisking or stirring rapidly with your fork. Add the parsley and thyme, salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings.

Simple, you bet, but this straightforward recipe will blow away any store bought salad dressing on the market. Start experimenting with your own ingredients and you will have Paul Newman getting nervous. Enjoy.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

December 11, 2009 | Filed Under Diet, Recipes | Leave a Comment 

Grilled and Spiced Chicken Breast with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Serves 6 By CURTIS STONE

Ingredients

  • ¼ tsp. cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp. fennel seeds
  • ¼ tsp. coriander seeds
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
  • ½ cucumber, peeled and deseeded and finely diced
  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 4 cups mixed baby salad greens
  • 4 sprigs fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. Preheat a grill or grill pan.
  2. Place a small sauté pan over medium high heat and toast each of the seeds separately for 1 to 2 minutes and remove from pan to a mixing bowl to cool.
  3. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor grind the spices into a powder being sure to break up any large pieces of the seeds. Pass the spice mix through a small sifter into a mixing bowl and mix well, set aside.
  4. On a clean work surface lay out several even layers of plastic wrap approximately 1 foot wide and place one chicken breast over the plastic. Cover the chicken with another piece of layered plastic and lightly pound the chicken breast with a meat mallet or meat tenderizer until the chicken breast is thinned out to about a ½ inch thickness, being careful not to rip or tear the chicken breast. Repeat with the second chicken breast.
  5. Lightly brush the grill with a little vegetable oil. Season each side of the chicken generously with the spice mix and reserve any remaining spice mix for a later use in an airtight container.
  6. Place the chicken breasts on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165 degrees F.
  7. While the chicken is cooking mix the lemon juice, garlic, cucumber and yogurt in a small mixing bowl until well incorporated.
  8. Remove the chicken from the grill to a plate and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Arrange the greens on a large serving platter. Place the chicken breasts atop the greens and drizzle the sauce over and around the chicken. Garnish the chicken with cilantro leaves and serve.
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November 10, 2009 | Filed Under Diet, Recipes, food | Leave a Comment 

More about Tuna

As I mentioned yesterday, I love tuna. It’s inexpensive, versatile and very healthy. As silly as it sounds, for me it’s almost a comfort food… with a lot less calories. I have even been known to eat it right out of the can.

I’ve recently started buying tuna in a pouch. To me, it’s fresher, chunkier and there is no need to drain it. It’s a bit more expensive, ounce per ounce, but it is well worth it.

The brand I buy comes in several different varieties… original, sweet and spicy, hickory smoked, zesty lemon pepper and herb and garlic. The best way I can describe it is ready-to-eat, marinated, tuna. It is vacuum sealed so no refrigeration is necessary.

What I like about tuna in a pouch is the fact that it doesn’t require a lot of storage space and it has a shelf life of up to three years. I stock up when it’s on sale, especially when I have coupons, which bring the price down even lower.

It’s great in salads and when served with pasta or rice… if you feel like cheating a bit.

What follows is one of my low-fat recipes. It’s easy to make any pretty much guilt free.

No Mayo Tuna Salad
1 (7oz.) pouch chunk light tuna

1 small Roma tomato, diced

¼ medium onion, diced

½ rib of celery, diced

1 t. lemon juice

¼ t. lemon pepper

3 oz. low fat Italian salad dressing

Pinch of fresh basil, chopped

¼ t. fresh garlic

Pepper, to taste

All you do is mix this together and refrigerate until chilled. What could be easier than that?

If you don’t like tuna there are many other varieties of fish, which can be purchased in a can. They include: salmon, sardines, mackerel, anchovies, clams, shrimp, crab, herring, oysters, octopus, kippers and mussels… just to name a few.

It is interesting to note that the first canned food was invented in the early 1800′s, in France, in effort to feed those serving in the military. Thirty years after canned food hit the scene, the can opener was invented.

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Popularity: 15% [?]

March 5, 2008 | Filed Under Diet, Recipes, food | 17 Comments 

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