Sweet and Sour Pork and Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole

Recipes for battered/deep-fried temptations can only be ignored for so long, before I succumb to the tease — pouring inches of oil into a big pot, veering off a healthy-food path into a darker reality. And thankfully, the “Sweet and Sour Pork,” from thekitchn.com, was worth all the risks. It gave me perfect proportions of sweet and tang, along with a great sweet-and-sour sauce. How’s your willpower?

 

Slow-Roasted Turkish Lamb Stew

“Slow roasting” is a trendy term that I am definitely enticed by. It involves my Dutch oven, it involves slow, unfussy stewing. The “Slow-Roasted Turkish Lamb Stew,” from thekitchn.com, easily became a rich, flavorful stew in two hours. It was a fine way to enjoy the occasional lamb treat.

 

Chickpea, Quinoa and Spinach Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette and Squash and Green Beans in Coconut Milk

Who needs a recipe for a salad? Admittedly, I tend to roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of a salad recipe: “Combine vegetables, dress them, and eat.” But allow me to defend the recipe for “Chickpea, Quinoa and Spinach Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette,” from theperfectpantry.com. I launched a winning salad with this one, using a lot of trendy red quinoa, extra chickpeas, and double the dressing. I’ve shouted about preserved lemons before, with their unforgettable tartness and intense lemony flavor. These are the secret ingredient in this vinaigrette.

 

Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Green Beans in Cauliflower Sauce

How do you feel about stews? Are you a “stew person”? Are you feeding “stew people”? My Stew Proclamation is along the lines of: “I will always appreciate and indulge in a messy heap of stew.” There it is. I do, indeed, live among stew people. And we are good people. The recipe for “Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Green Beans in Cauliflower Sauce,” from fatfreevegan.com, celebrates the simple pleasures that only a heap of vegetables and potatoes can bring to the table.

 

Thai-Style Chicken Legs and Roasted Green Beans with Sesame Seeds

Admittedly, I’m attracted to recipes that ask me to marinate chicken pieces overnight in my glass baking dish, in my refrigerator. The recipe for “Thai-Style Chicken Legs,” as posted on smittenkitchen.com, combines all of its ingredients thusly (except for the dipping sauce), so that the next day, I only needed to turn on the oven and push the tray in. I couldn’t ask for a better result: my young child loved eating this chicken.

 

Stewed Potatoes and Green Beans with Tomatoes

When this recipe invited me to top each serving with a fried egg, I was ready to try it. The “Stewed Potatoes and Green Beans with Tomatoes,” from the November 2009 issue of Gourmet, was rich and flavorful, though simple. I’ve always enjoyed this taste trio — potatoes, green beans, tomatoes — it’s been with me since my childhood. These flavors will be inspirational to you. You’ll eat and think, “Stew?” I challenge you to add beef and noodles to this stew foundation, and see what happens.

 

Tempeh Cutlets Provencal and Southern Green Beans

I do enjoy the firm nuttiness of tempeh (the fermented soybean cake), although my cooking results have been inconsistent over the years. Knowing that tempeh benefits from being marinated, I tackled the recipe for “Tempeh Cutlets Provencal,” from the January 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, doubling the amounts to make four servings. Our expectations for “cutlets” tend to be very specific: cutlets must be thin and moist and flavorful and not too chewy. Tempeh is realistically not built that way. My tempeh browned nicely after baking, but was still as dry as a firm cake would be. The simple lesson here? Tempeh needs more surface area than a cutlet can promise. Chunks of tempeh — in a stew or a stir fry — would be tastier and crunchier. Oh well. We can now, however, celebrate the sauce that was involved here…

 

Grandmas Chicken Chardon and Grecian Beans in Tomato Sauce

Here’s a meal that turned out to be quite kid-friendly. The recipe for “Grandmas Chicken Chardon,” from Allrecipes.com, features breaded chicken breasts that are smartly baked, rather than fried. The mixture of breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder was the perfect quantity to coat the chicken. I added 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper to my egg. The raw mushrooms at the bottom of the baking dish seemed to melt, once they cooked. My young child loved this tasty chicken.

 

Easy Red Beans and Rice and Green Bean Casserole

Is a recipe necessary — really — for such a basic dish? The “Easy Red Beans and Rice,” from Allrecipes.com, called out to me with its inclusion of turkey sausage, canned beans, and canned tomatoes.

I customized the recipe to make 4 servings, and did enjoy its simple tastiness. I cooked “turkey breakfast sausage” for 5 minutes, then added the onion, green pepper, and garlic and cooked for another 7 minutes. The smells were nice. I added 1 tsp. salt to the final mix.

If you’re likely to take pride in a substantial single-pan dish — as I indeed am — then this will be a winner for you and yours.

 

Chicken Cacciatore with Crisp Polenta and Green Bean and Artichoke Casserole

The combination of ingredients in the “Chicken Cacciatore with Crisp Polenta,” from the October 2008 issue of Everyday Food–chicken thighs, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, white wine, green olives–are impossible to resist, especially when combined in a Dutch oven. I first seared my chicken thighs for 8 minutes per batch. I cooked the mushrooms for 3 minutes. My chosen olives were provencal and my wine was a 2007 Argentinian sauvignon blanc. I simmered the whole saucy chicken mixture for 25 minutes. Make sure to completely cook your chicken thighs (you may need a bit longer time).