Greek Small White Bean Salad

Greek Small White Bean Salad

White Bean Salad ready to be placed in the Refrigerator for a few hours

I am now in Greece for a months stay, asndonce againI am in awe of the lovely fresh vegetables and fruits, the assortment of dried beans, the cheese counter (or better said department as it is Huge!) with an amazing choice of fresh wheels of a variety of cheeses, the olive counter with so many kinds of olives by the barrel and fresh capers;  in general a delight to go shopping.

I always first make for the family to have in the refrigerator at all times a few things that last for days and are easy to grab a small bowl for a super healthy snack. This time I decided to make a bean salad.

4 cups of cooked small white beans (see method) or equal canned beans rinsed and drained

 1 small onion chopped finely

 Half of a lemon juiced  (in the USA you may need a whole lemon as the Greekones are much fuller  of juice)

 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

 4-5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 1/2 cup parsley then chop

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

 Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix oil , vinegar and lemon juice and set a side (dressing)

Cook beans. (see instructions below) Chop onion and parsley. 

Juice Lemon. First rollthe lemon back and forth to release the juice inside before cutting open

 

 

 

 

Combine all ingredients into a serving dish.

I like to place it in the refrigerator and then after few hours toss and redress with olive oil, lemon and vinegar as needed (usually another 1/4 cup if not more), as the beans will absorb allot of the dressing.

TIPS:

·        I used half of a Geek lemon. You may want to use a whole lemon if not in the Med. where the lemons have twice as much juice as ones I find in the USA.

·        Use a red onion instead of white if  a milder taste of onion is desired.

·        I think beans in general need allot of salt but of course salt to taste always remembering salt is not healthy to have too much in one’s diet!

·        You could add a bit of tarragon as well

 

Method to cook Beans:  Place raw, rinsed uncooked beans in water to cover and let sit overnight.  Rinse and drain well.     Place in new cold water to cover by ¼ inch and bring to boil.  Stir every so often and replace water as needed.  Turn down and simmer for about 2- 21/2 hours.  Until done.

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand!

Leftover Vegetables in a variation of Italian Wedding Soup

Leftover Vegetables in a variation of Italian Wedding Soup

I just arrived back from a wonder weekend attending my nephew’s wedding. I leave in a day for another wedding and then upon arrival back  I am immediately off a day later to Greece.  Therefore, I need to get my vegetables used quickly or I will need to toss them out. 

So I decided to cook a big soup for dinner and freeze the rest by putting it in a zip lock bag and place on my “soup” shelf in the freezer.  Yes a soup shelf.  I love soups of all kinds but I do not like eating the same soup day after day.  So I make a large batch and freeze half (in zip lock bags as they lay flat).  There is always a variety to choose from in the freezer!

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large carrot in small cubes

1 small onion diced small

2 stalks celery diced

3 large mushrooms (or more as this is all I had)

Handful of grape tomatoes halved

1 small jalapeno diced small

1 tablespoon minced garlic (jarred)

2 teaspoons oregano

2 cups Roca (Arugula) roughly chopped

½ cup Orzo

2 quarts beef stock

Salt to taste

15 medium meatballs (Kirkland brand are great from Costco) cut in 1/4ths

1 bay leaf

In the olive oil sauté the carrot, onion, celery and garlic 4-5 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 40 minutes.  I served it with a salad and a biscuit.

TIPS:

·        I used the leftover vegetables in our refrigerator.  Change your ingredients as to what you have at hand.

·        Substitute  potato for the orzo

·        Omit the hot pepper if you do not like a spicy soup

·        You can sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of soup when you serve it

·        Substitute spinach for the Arugula (Roca)

 

 

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand!

Baked Chicken Rolls Stuffed with Asparagus on Rice

Baked Chicken Rolls Stuffed with Asparagus on Rice

 

2 large chicken breasts fillets, split (butterflied) and pounded a bit thinner

Handful of asparagus, stems trimmed off

6 large mushrooms sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ tablespoon minced garlic

1/8 teaspoon paprika

¼ cup white wine or chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked creamy Parmesan rice (see below)

 

Take the chicken breast and butterfly the chicken breast into two pieces.  Pound the pieces lightly to flatten to a more equal thickness throughout the fillet.  Lay 4-5 stems of asparagus cross the breast and roll jelly roll style.  Secure with a toothpick if needed. Sprinkle with the paprika and salt and pepper.

 

 Over medium high heat add the olive oil and sauté the mushrooms and garlic for 3-4 minutes.  Move them to the outer sides of the large frying pan.  Add the chicken rolls and brown lightly on all sides. (Add a bit more olive oil if needed) 

Transfer the rolls to a glass baking dish and add the mushrooms and juice in the pan on top of the chicken. Add the wine to the pan and cook a few minutes scraping up all leftover bits and then top chicken.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees covered.

Creamy Parmesan cheese Rice (Risotto)

Slowly stirring in the liquid to the rice as it cooks helps release the starch and make for a very creamy texture.

1 cup Arborio Rice

4 cups chicken broth

1//4 cup white wine

¼ cup cream (optional)

6 asparagus spears

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter

Over medium/low heat melt the butter in pan that the chicken was browned in and stir in the cut asparagus. Sautee for 3-4 minutes and add rice.  Stir and cook another 2 minutes.  Add broth by ½ cup intervals and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Continue until the broth is used.  Add the wine Parmesan cheese and cream (if using) and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Plate the rice ion the plate. Top with the chicken and mushrooms and pour the pan juices over the chicken.

TIPS:

·        Add more wine and less chicken broth if you like

·        Add frozen peas to rice

·        Rice can be a meal in itself.

·        Chopped parsley on top looks nice.

·        Addition of some lemon to the chicken is always good.

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand!

SUN DRIED TOMATO, PESTO AND CREAM CHEESE DIP

SUN DRIED TOMATO, PESTO AND CREAM CHEESE DIP

A friend of mine informed me that she would be in the area in a few hours and could she stop by.  Well, YES, of course!  So a last minute visit should not make you go crazy.  Look around and you will find something to place out with a glass of wine.

I found some sun dried tomatoes, which I keep always “on hand”, cream cheese and pesto.

This makes a simple and easy dip to serve with French bread or crackers or even vegetable sticks (carrots or celery).

1 TABLESPOON PESTO (basil based)

6 OZ CHREAM CHEESE

¼ CUP SUN DRIED TOMATOES THAT WERE PACKED IN OLIVE OIL

In a food processor or blender place all ingredients and blend well.  Leave the tomatoes a little bit chunky to give the spread some nice consistency. Garnish with a vasil leaf.

 

 

 

 

TIPS:

·        Add a small piece of jalapeno pepper or red pepper flakes

·        Make your own pesto and sun dried tomatoes (I will blog next time I need to make a batch) or cheat and use store bought.

·        You could substitute thick Greek yogurt or sour cream for the cream cheese but it will be not as thick.

·        You could use any pesto but I prefer basil pesto with this combination