Roasted Green Beans

Everything tastes better roasted, right?  I normally steam my green beans, or sauté them with garlic and olive oil, but since I already had the oven on today for some orange-soy ribs, I figured I'd use it to roast the green beans as well.

I seasoned with coriander and cumin, but you could use whatever flavors you like.  I've done it with a sprinkle of curry powder before, and that was also yum!

Roasted Green Beans


Ingredients:

• 2 pounds green beans, washed, trimmed and blot-dried with a kitchen towel
• 1/2-ish teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2-ish teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan)
• 1/4-ish teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4-ish teaspoon ground cumin
• 2-ish tablespoons olive oil
• lemon wedge (optional)

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make sure your beans are pretty dry.  I find patting them down with a kitchen towel after washing does the trick.  You want to minimize moisture because you want them to roast, not steam.  
• On a large sheet pan, toss the green beans with the spices and olive oil. Spread the beans out into a single layer and roast for about 15 minutes, giving them a quick toss halfway through. You want them to be ever so lightly browned and caramelized.
• Remove from oven and spritz with lemon wedge.  Serve hot.

Peppers Stuffed with Mushrooms, Peas and Arugula

I like sweet bell peppers.  A lot.  And I like to roast and stuff them.  A lot.

Many recipes call for stuffing raw peppers and then roasting them until done.  I tend yo prefer to roast the empty peppers first, and then stuff them with a fully cooked filling.  My reasons are twofold: 1) because it eliminates the potential for burning the outsides while risking an undercooked filling inside, and 2) rice and quinoa and other grains in the stuffing will dry out on the top and become hard unless you have some sort of bread crumb or cheese topping.  Well, I'm gluten-free, so I skip the bread crumbs, and as much as I LOVE cheese, sometimes it's just not needed.  (Gasp, did I just say that?)

Peppers Stuffed with Mushrooms, Peas and Arugula


Ingredients:

• olive oil in a mister
• 4 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups mushrooms, sliced
•  2ish cups brown rice, cooked
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup arugula
• salt & pepper

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.   Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
• Cut the tops off the bell peppers and discard.  Remove seeds and membranes.  Place peppers cut-side down onto the oiled sheet and roast for 15 - 20 minutes until soft.
• Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Sweat the onion until soft.  Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.  
• Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until soft.  Add the rice and peas and continue cooking and stirring, until everything is heated through.
• Add the arugula and salt & pepper to taste.  Stir until arugula is wilted.
• Remove the peppers from the oven and divide the stuffing mixture evenly into them.
• Serve hot.

Roasted Crimini with Coriander and Thyme

What?  Mushrooms can be roasted?  They sure can, and they're absolutely delicious this way!

Roasted Crimini with Coriander and Thyme


Ingredients:

• 1 pound crimini mushrooms, cleaned with a damp cloth
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 a lime

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Toss all ingredients, except for the lime, on a sheet pan.  Go conservative with the s&p since roasting will remove some moisture and concentrate the flavors.  You can add more seasoning after cooking, if desired.
• Spread the mushrooms out in a single layer on the pan and roast in pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, until they are nicely browned and tender.
• Remove from oven, adjust s&p as necessary, spritz with lime juice and serve immediately.

Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Shapes, Letters and Numbers on a Cake

Playing catch-up. If you'd like to see my latest cookie creations, please visit my Facebook page: A Random Act of Cookie.  

February - Mini Cookies on a Cake - Shapes, Letters and Numbers
2 dozen mini ginger spice sugar cookies

Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Lunar New Year 2014 (4712)

Playing catch-up. If you'd like to see my latest cookie creations, please visit my Facebook page: A Random Act of Cookie.  

January - Lunar New Year Cookies for a School Celebration
2 dozen vanilla sugar cookies, 2 dozen chocolate sugar cookies


January - Lunar New Year Cookies for a Family Party
3 dozen ginger spice sugar cookies

Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Silly Monsters

Playing catch-up. If you'd like to see my latest cookie creations, please visit my Facebook page: A Random Act of Cookie.  

November - Silly Monsters Cookies for a 1st Birthday
2 dozen vanilla sugar cookies, 2 dozen chocolate sugar cookies

Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Lego Bionicles

Playing catch-up. If you'd like to see my latest cookie creations, please visit my Facebook page: A Random Act of Cookie.  

October - Lego Bionicles Cookies, Kopaka and Lewa
2 dozen vanilla sugar cookies

Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Owls and Paint Palettes

Playing catch-up. If you'd like to see my latest cookie creations, please visit my Facebook page: A Random Act of Cookie.  

September - Owl Cookies for a 2nd Birthday
5 dozen vanilla sugar cookies


September - A Colorful 4th Birthday with Paint Palette Cookies
1.5 dozen confetti sugar cookies, 1.5 dozen chocolate cookies

Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Thank-you Minis, Dr. Seuss

Playing catch-up. If you'd like to see my latest cookie creations, please visit my Facebook page: A Random Act of Cookie.  

August - Last-day-of-preschool mini cookies for teachers
5 dozen vanilla sugar cookies, 5 dozen chocolate sugar cookies




August - A Dr. Seuss 1st Birthday, 5" favor-size cookies
3 dozen vanilla sugar cookies

Curried Lentils and Chickpeas

It's Meatless Monday.  I've fallen into a rut lately (just life and stuff) and have been resorting to old favorites like Goat Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Portobellos, Frittatas, Lentil and Pasta Soup, and even just scrambled eggs with toast (GF crackers for me) for Monday dinners.  Today I was feeling a bit feisty, so I thought I'd make something new.  Well, new to me.  I was jonesing for something curry, and this totally hit the spot.  And it's easy, too.  Yay!

Curried Lentils and Chickpeas


Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 3/4 cup dried lentils
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 cups water
• salt & pepper to taste
• hot pepper sauce to taste (optional)

Directions:

• Rinse chickpeas and lentils in running water, then soak in separate bowls overnight.
• In a medium pot, sauté the onion and garlic in coconut oil over medium heat for a few minutes until soft and fragrant.
• Drain the chickpeas and lentils and add to the pot.  Add the curry and cumin powders.  Stir over medium heat for a minute.
• Add the water and salt & pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the chickpeas and lentils are tender. Adjust salt and pepper as needed, and add hot pepper sauce (optional).  Serve over brown rice (or with whole wheat naan if you're not gluten-free).

Tonight I served this with a side of simple roasted cauliflower.  I'm a happy camper.