Meatless Mountain Green Beans with Potatoes

Meatless Mountain Green Beans with Potatoes

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/meatless_green_beans_potatoes.html

From EatingWell:  July/August 2013

In the southern Appalachian Mountains, green beans were cooked at the back of the stove in a bacon-seasoned broth with new potatoes added in the final part of the long, slow process. The result is a vegetable dish so imbued with meaty flavor that it was regularly served as the main part of an otherwise meatless meal with slaw, fresh tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, raw onion and cornbread. Here the meaty flavor in this vegetarian green bean recipe is created without pork by using smoked Spanish paprika and olive oil. Look for smoked paprika with other spices in well-stocked supermarkets.

8 servings, about 1 cup each | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

• 2 pounds green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
• 4 cups water, or as needed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika, mild or sweet, plus more to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 16 baby or new potatoes (about golf ball size), rinsed but not peeled

Preparation

1. Place beans in a large pot or Dutch oven. Pour in enough water to just barely cover the beans. Add oil, paprika and salt; gently stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer, cover and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. (Check the pot occasionally and add water a little bit at a time if the beans are in danger of cooking dry.) Taste the bean broth and stir in additional paprika, if desired, for a “meatier” taste, but do so in small increments; too much can impart a bitter taste.
2. Place potatoes on top of the beans and push down into the broth. Return to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes more.

Nutrition

Per serving : 121 Calories; 4 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 20 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Protein; 5 g Fiber; 444 mg Sodium; 362 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 1/2 fat

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

2 medium zucchini
½ large red pepper
1T chopped fresh dill
1t olive oil
1t fresh lemon juice
sea salt and pepper to taste

Cut ends from zucchini. Use peeler to “peel” ribbons of zucchini around the four sides without slicing into the core. Reserve core for another use (it makes a nice snack to enjoy while you’re making dinner). Remove inner membrane and seeds from red pepper and use peeler to “’peel” thin slices of red pepper by running peeler along the cut edge. Toss pepper and zucchini with dill, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Fun tropical snack

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Creamy Avocado Citrus Salad Dressing !!  No Oil or Dairy. 
Ingredients (Local, organic + non-GMO if possible!):
1 ripe avocado
¼ c raw apple cider vinegar
¼. c. raw honey (or maple syrup)
3 T. lime juice
1 clove garlic
¼ c. cilantro
½ small jalepeno (or your preference)
¼ c. water or more, to thin to preference
Salt and pepper, to taste

Asian Beet Greens

Farm Fresh Feasts

As promised in my Hoisin-Sesame Swai and Hoisin-Roasted Radishes post (because two recipes in one post is . . . well never enough, but let's say sufficient) here it is:

Asian Beet Greens
2-3 teaspoons cooking oil of your choice
½ cup chopped onion
¾ cup chopped stems of beet greens
2-3 cups chopped beet green leaves
½ to ½ teaspoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar, plus more to taste

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a turn of cooking oil, then once it is shimmery add the onion and beet green stems. sauté them 5-8 minutes until softened, then toss in the leaves. Stir to coat with fat, and continue cooking until the leaves are wilted, another 3 minutes or so. Remove from heat, and sprinkle with soy sauce and rice vinegar. Taste and see if you need to adjust any seasonings. You can do this while the Swai and radishes are roasting.

Cardamom Spiced Nutty Granola

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A grain-free lifestyle (or experiment) can be challenging - you won't miss cereal at all with this breath of spice in the morning, natural sweetness and nuts, seeds, and coconut to keep you fulluntil lunch.

• SERVINGS: 12-14
• PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
• COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES TO 24 HOURS
• TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup	Real Maple Syrup
¼ cup	Honey or Any Other Liquid Sweetener, including up to half molasses
¼ cup	Butter or Unrefined Coconut Oil, or mixture of both
1½ tsp	Vanilla
2 cup	Almonds
2 cup	Other Nuts, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans or combination
1 cup	Pumpkin or Sunflower Seeds
2 cup	Shredded Coconut or Coconut "chips"
⅓ cup	Sesame Seeds, optional
1 tsp	Cinnamon
½ tsp	Cardamom
1 cup	Dried Fruit, optional

DIRECTIONS:

In a small pot, melt the fat and sweeteners together over low to medium heat until

the mixture is completely liquified, stirring as needed. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Meanwhile, food process the nuts briefly or chop with a knife so that they're the size you want, which can be quite small but not finely ground.

In a large bowl, mix the chopped nuts with the seeds, coconut, optional sesame seeds, cinnamon and cardamom. Pour the liquid mixture over the top and stir well.

To bake in an oven: Spread the granola in a thin layer on a large cookie sheet. Removal for storage is easiest if you use a silicone mat liner or parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15-20 minutes. Check and stir after the first 8 minutes and every 3-5 minutes after that. The granola is done when things are starting to feel dried out and are barely browning. Watch the edges for overbrowning; you may need to remove some from the outside if it browns too fast. Some find that after the first 10 minutes, turning the oven down to 250 and increasing the bake time ensures that nothing burns.

In a dehydrator: Spread evenly on dehydrator sheets, using fine mesh, flat plastic or parchment paper to prevent the shredded coconut, sesame seeds, etc. from falling through. Dehydrate at 145F until fairly crispy, usually about 12-24 hours.

Stir in optional dried fruit after toasting.

Cool partway and package in airtight containers while still slightly warm. The granola will crisp up and stick together more and more while it cools. If you let it cool completely, you just might have the biggest granola bar you've ever seen.

Serve dry or with milk or yogurt.

HELPFUL TIPS:

* Store at room temperature unless you chose walnuts, because their more delicate fats require refrigeration or freezing unless your granola is consumed within a week. * I prefer the dehydrator method because there's no chance of burning the nuts. * I use soaked and dehydrated nuts and seeds for this recipe to improve digestion ("crispy nuts"). I think they taste better too! Going gluten-free or grain-free can be a huge challenge, especially when feeling rushed at breakfast-time. With breaths of cardamom and cinnamon, natural sweeteners, healthy fats and the satisfying crunch of crispy nuts tempered by coconut chips, you'll never pine for boxed cereal again.

Iced Chai Tea in a Mason Jar

SIP THE SHRINKER!!!

Enjoy THM’s latest delicious drink. Take these three simple steps to shrink fat today while growing your health and vitality

1.Whip up the super easy recipe below.

2.Enjoy the creamy, luscious liquid. Let its deep, earthy chai taste tantalize your taste buds while you inhale the exotic spices.

4.Feel your hunger dissipate… experience renewed energy… love the long list of youth reviving benefits.

SIP THE SHRINKER gets results but tastes very, very naughty! It is designed to be sipped between your meals and snacks to not only keep you hydrated but help you combat that whim for needless snacking.

I like to have a "go to" drink that satisfies that hand to mouth habit – you know the one – you want to put something from your hand into your mouth and swallow. Or sometimes it’s just "head hunger” that causes problematic snacking for many of us.

While we’re not about skipping important snacks on THM, we don’t want you to eat all day either. I find if I do not make one of my large between meal drinks, I tend to eat food when my body doesn't really need it. I end up eating for the fun of it, or for the relaxation, or for a pick me up when I feel tired but what my body really needs is hydration.

These liquid bridges between your meals need to fit into a certain criteria to keep you getting your weight loss results. Between meal drinks that are filled with calories and carbs can pull you into dangerous weight gaining territory quicker than you can say OOPSIE!!! You need to drink fat burning rather than fat promoting beverages and they need to be yummy!

GOOD GIRL MOONSHINE is a great example of a drink that is free from calories, carbs and the need for digestion yet it is flooded with nutrients, and specific weight loss targeting natural properties. SIP THE SHRINKER is another weight zapping formula for your THM tool belt. Of course you’ll soon need to put a few more notches in this belt because as you add more of these special THM fat blitzing tools you’ll obtain a tinier waist!!

The foundation ingredient of SIP THE SHRINKER is a beloved Chinese tea called OOLONG or WU-LONG. In ancient Chinese books it is regarded as an elixir which contributed to prolonged life. It is known as having the richest and most complex flavor among all the varieties of tea.

Here is an embarrassingly modest list of just a few of OOLONG's wonders.

* OOLONG prevents obesity and is powerfully active in burning fat. Research shows that the polyphenols that are highest in Oolong tea, help activate thermogenesis which increases fat oxidation in your body. Scientists from the University of Tokushima found that Oolong tea can double the amount of fat excreted by the body. He reported that two cups of Oolong tea burned over 157% more fat than those who drank the same amount of green tea!!! Just one cup can help burn off an extra 67 calories. Yeah!!!!!

* OOLONG lowers blood sugar levels and can be an effective treatment for diabetics. A Taiwanese study found that Oolong tea controls blood glucose levels very effectively. The thorough study showed that plasma glucose and fructosamine levels dropped significantly for Oolong tea drinkers.

If I went through even a shortened list of Oolong tea's benefits one by one I’d keep you here for hours of reading so I am going to shove a few together.

* Oolong improves vitality... prolongs lifespan... combats the aging of skin... treats eczema and rashes... prevents heart disease and cancer… reduces high blood pressure... it's a physical and mental stress reliever... strengthens teeth and prevents tooth decay... improves brain power... you get the picture. Best of all it makes a scrumptious drink called the "SHRINKER" and you get all these extras and more thrown in for good measure.

No, I can't help myself. I have to tell you just a little more and then Pearl can come and super glue my fingers together so I can't type anymore. She likes me to keep short and concise so you don't get bored. Too bad for Pearl.

*Oolong contains antioxidants that powerfully destroy free radicals. Research conducted by Dr Kenichi Yanagimoto from the university of California, showed that only 15 days of Oolong tea drinking enabled an incredible 50% reduction in free radicals.

Another study conducted by the academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Fujian Province concluded that stress levels reduced significantly with four servings of Oolong each day for a week. SIP THE SHRINKER contains four servings of Oolong. Hey Mama, you may be only one week away from a more "calm" you.

Even though Oolong is the main Super Star of this recipe, the other co-star ingredients were carefully chosen by Mwa. They not only harmonize perfectly for taste enhancement but they too help optimize fat loss, rev the metabolism and provide extremely high antioxidant, nutrient and anti- inflammatory properties. This drink is simple and inexpensive but will provide more mineralizing "mojo" than some expensive houghty taughty health tonic from the health food store.

Let me say just a small little tiddly bit about Cinnamon the co-star.

* Cinnamon regulates blood sugar. It slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals. It not only stimulates insulin receptors, but also inhibits an enzyme that inactivates them so it creates more ability to use glucose. It only takes a scant half tsp. to reduce blood sugar levels and that is easily provided in the SHRINKER... yay for us!

* It reduces LDL cholesterol... it contains effective anti-infectious compounds against dangerous pathogens... it is also highly anti-inflammatory and reduces cytokines linked to arthritic pain. It also reduces chronic inflammation linked with neurological disorders... Cinnamon reduces the proliferation of cancer cells I'm on a roll Pearl! Can I keep going Sis? Research by Dr.P. Zoladz found that just smelling the wonderful odor of cinnamon improves brain activity. I didn't hear her say no! It is effective for menstrual pain and infertility. This is because Cinnamon contains a natural chemical called cinnamaldehyde, which studies show increases the hormone progesterone in woman. It is also a natural food preservative. Cinnamon is such a powerful antioxidant that it prevents oxidation more effectively than the chemical food preservatives BHT and BHA.

ENOUGH!!!.........I will appease my sister and now give you the recipe.


1. Boil enough water to fill a large coffee mug in which you will steep 4 tea bags of Oolong. Let it cool.

2. Once cool, pour this tea into a blender along with ½ cup of Unsweetened Almond milk, a couple of generous pinches of Celtic salt, a generous tsp. or two of vanilla, stevia extract to taste (go easy and add more if needed), ½ - 1 tsp. of cinnamon (cinnamon lovers can use more) and cayenne pepper to taste. If you have not developed a taste for hot pepper then use black pepper to replace the red for your chai blend. Turn on blender and blend well. This is your SHRINKER concentrate.

3. Once blended, pour the concentrate into a glass, 2 quart size canning jar and fill to the top with ice. If you don’t have a 2 quarter, I recommend you get one as it is fun having your day’s quota (2 quarts of deliciousness) in one huge jar. But you can split your concentrate between two quart size canning jars. You can add a bit of water to the concentrate if needed to make the liquid reach the top of the jar, but do make sure there is plenty of ice to keep the SHRINKER thoroughly chilled.

4. Put a lid on the jar, shake well then taste and adjust flavors. Own it!!!! What do you need to add so it knocks your socks off!! More stevia? More vanilla? I usually add more hot pepper because I like it to burn and make me feel like a feisty tiger!

5. Love it

From your THM friend Serene

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