Sweet and Sour Bean Salad

Pretend you see red kidney beans...ok?

This recipe has been in my family for generations...literally.  My grandmother used to make it, my mother did, and now it's all on me.

There's a reason, though, that this has been handed down...it's worth making! If you've never made a mixed bean salad before, this one will become your "go-to" as well...you can count on it! This last time I made it we were out of kidney beans so I used navy beans instead.  Most beans work well, except black beans, which tend to dye the whole salad a very unappetizing color.

SWEET AND SOUR BEAN SALAD

• 1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 3 cups cut green beans, steamed
• 3 cups cut wax beans, steamed
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery (optional)
• 1 cup chopped red bell peppers (optional)
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 Tblsp. GF Worcestershire sauce

Drain beans. Add celery and onion.  Combine oil and vinegar and add sugar and seasonings.  Combine dressing and vegetables and toss lightly.  Marinate overnight in the fridge.  Drain before serving, if desired.

Save your ice cream pail for this one!

Roasted Veggies - Carrots and Cauliflower

Carrots -- delicious!

These vegetables had mixed results.  The carrots were SO good...for vegetables, as my kids say!

The cauliflower was a bit of a "fail" with my family, at least in part because roasting it seemed to bring out the "cabbagey taste", as my husband described.  All the blog posts I saw seemed to indicate it would get sweet and nutty, but that's not what we got.

To roast the veggies, it's really more of a method than a recipe.  It's a matter of cleaning, peeling (in the case of the carrots), and cutting up some veggies, a toss with some olive oil and salt and pepper, and then tuck them into a hot oven (425 - 450F) for 20 minutes or so.  I would suggest checking them after the first 10 minutes, and then every 5 minutes thereafter.

Once the veggies are tender, and a little browned, they are done and ready for noshing. Eat your veggies!

Cauliflower -- fail?

Green Chili Chicken and Lime Soup

Soup? Stew? Stroup?

This is yummy.  And hearty.  And not at all how the original author intended, I don't think.

I made it the right way the first few times, honest I did, but I kept finding myself still, well...peckish after lunch.

At which point I decided I'd better make it bigger and heftier the next time.

Feel free to adjust the amount of chilis when you make it (or quite frankly, the amount of any of the ingredients), because it's got to taste good to YOU.

GREEN CHILI, CHICKEN AND LIME SOUP
Adapted from Picky Palate

• 2 Tblsps. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 64 oz chicken stock (for how-to, click here)
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 7 oz can diced green chilies
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 cups uncooked rice*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
• 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper

In a large pot, saute onion and garlic over low heat until soft and translucent.  Be careful not to let the garlic burn!

Stir in the water, tomatoes, chilies, lime juice, rice, cumin and Knorr.  Let simmer until rice is cooked, stirring occasionally.

Add in chicken and kidney beans and simmer until they are heated through. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and add in the chopped cilantro.

*For rice, we have a brown and wild rice blend that we really love.  Brown rice would also be great, but use whatever rice you prefer.

Green Salad with Apples and Apple Dijon Dressing

Best. Dressing. Ever!

This was good...so good, in fact, that my daughter insisted on cutting up a second apple to dip in the dressing and eat for dessert.  No lie!

Adapted from this recipe on The Sisters Cafe, we changed it up to suit what we had in the fridge, and it was AWESOME!

GREEN SALAD WITH APPLES AND APPLE DIJON DRESSING

For Salad:

• 1 - 2 heads romaine lettuce, in bite-sized pieces
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• 1 handful fresh spinach
• 1 apple (we used a Fuji), in bite-sized slices
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 - 1 cup toasted pecans

For Dressing:

• 2 Tblsps. olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tblsps. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tblsp. grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 Tblsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper

Toss all your salad ingredients in a bowl until well distributed.

Pour all dressing ingredients into a jar and shake until completely mixed.  Pour over salad and toss, toss, toss.  And then eat.  And then, eat seconds!

Sole with Thai Coconut Sauce

Fishy, fishy on my dishy...

Day 8 of the Hormone Diet.  5 lbs. down for me, about the same for the hubby.  Not too bad as we don't really feel like we are suffering at all.  The food has been awesome, once you get the hang of things and plan ahead.


Last night's dinner was an amazing sole dish, adapted from Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Thai Coconut Sauce found on Epicurious. We served it with some basmati rice and an amazing salad that I'll post about later.



SOLE WITH THAI COCONUT SAUCE

• 2 cans (400 ml each) unsweetened coconut milk 
• 4 Tblsps. fresh lime juice 
• 4 tsps. minced peeled fresh ginger** 
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed 
• 2 tsps. fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam) 
• 2 - 3 minced seeded Thai chiles (or leave the seeds in, depending on how spicy you like things) 
• 4 Tblsps. chopped fresh cilantro 
• 4 Tblsps. minced green onions

• 6 - 8 sole fillets

Combine first set of ingredients (everything except fish) in medium skillet.  Over medium-high heat bring to the boil, and then turn down to a simmer.  


Poach fish in sauce for about 10 minutes, or until flaky. Remove fish and tent with foil to maintain heat.

Turn heat back up on sauce and boil until reduced to your liking.  Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Divide coconut sauce among plates; top with fish and serve. 

** The ginger trick...buy fresh ginger root and keep it in the freezer in a plastic bag. When you need some "minced" or "chopped fine" you can whip it out, and grate it on a rasp or a fine grater. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy! Oh, and as Jamie Oliver says, I wouldn't bother peeling it unless you are bothered by the appearance of the skin in your dish. Otherwise, it seems to cook down just like the rest of the ginger does and I don't find it to be noticeable at all.