Pan-Seared Peruvian Giant Lima Beans January 24, 2012

Giant Lima Beans & Brussels Sprouts: Shown here with lean turkey bacon. Here are 3 versions: 1. Con carne- With crisp, lean, nitrate-free turkey bacon 2. Vegetarian- With thin shavings of aged Parmesan or aged sharp white cheddar. 3. Vegan- With an extra dash of salt and 2 extra garlic cloves (or with soy bacon if preferred)

Pan-Seared Peruvian Giant Lima Beans
with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Inspired by Gigante Beans, a dish from Ziziki’s Taverna in Addison, this dish prepares beans in a whole new light. The pan-seared, garlic-rich flavor is spiked with savory tastes that make these beans anything but bland.

Ingredients
Serves 2
-12 fresh brussels sprouts, rinsed and sliced in halves
-6-8 cloves fresh garlic
-About 3/4 cup dry Giant Peruvian Lima Beans
-4 cups water
-3-4 slices lean, nitrate-free turkey bacon (or alternative)
-4 tbsp olive oil
-dash of turmeric
-dash of paprika
-dash of ground cloves (optional)
-pinch of salt and ground black pepper

Method

BEANS: 1)  Soak beans overnight (or for at least 4 hours) in about 4 cups water. Follow the instructions on the package as this may vary slightly with the variety of ginat lima beans.  2) Next, bring beans to a boil and reduce to a high simmer for 1 hour. Check on them to make sure that the water does not evaporate too quickly. If the water becomes very low, add more. 3) Drain beans and add to saucepan with 2 tbsp olive oil and 5 cloves minced garlic. Stir frequently. Sear for about 5 minutes.

B. SPROUTS: 1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse brussels sprouts and cut into halves. Add to a baking tray with 2 tbsp olive oil, a dash of ground black pepper and a very slight dash of salt. I have found that you can use less salt and taste it more if you primarily add it after cooking. Add in 3 cloves minced garlic after the brussels sprouts have already cooked for about 15 minutes. Bake for 30-40 minutes total, shaking tray or stirring with a spatula every 15 minutes.

T. BACON: 1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Follow your bacon’s package instructions. I used lean nitrate-free turkey bacon. Cooked for 17 minutes at 400°F. You can prepare the bacon the day before and keep in fridge to use for recipe the next day. You only need about 3 pieces of bacon for this recipe; it is meant to accentuate the flavors not overpower them. Here is a recipe to try with the leftover bacon strips: Bacon-Wrapped Dates. Otherwise, store in the fridge and use to top soups or salads. Vegetarians and vegans feel free to sub out the bacon for another savory flavor such as from the suggestions below.

PUTTING it all TOGETHER: Combine ingredients in large saucepan and serve hot! Store leftover in the fridge for up to 4 days for best freshness. Re-heat in microwave-safe ceramic bowl or plate (for about 1 min 30 seconds) or reheat the portion you will use on the stove top.

Here are 3 versions:
1. Con carne- With crisp, lean, nitrate-free turkey bacon
2. Vegetarian- With thin shavings of aged Parmesan or aged sharp white cheddar.
3. Vegan- With an extra dash of salt and 2 extra garlic cloves (or with soy bacon if preferred)

20 Minute Dinner: Bison Burger with Mixed Greens November 9, 2010

Bison Burger with Thai Ginger Marinade: Topped with Fresh Pea Shoots and Served with Mixed Green Salad. Vitamin C from the pea shoots and greens enhances iron absorption from the burger.

Bison meat tends to be leaner and higher in omega-3 fatty acids than most beef, because the animals are fed grass instead of corn. If you’ve ever read Michael Pollan’s, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, you probably remember the many problems he discussed that happen when cows are fed grain (corn) diets. After reading his book, I’ve stopped buying any beef that is not 100% grass-fed when I do my grocery shopping. If you haven’t read Pollan’s book, I highly recommend it but, in short, cows are not biologically built to eat grains and doing so often makes them sick. The meat industry has decided that grain-fed cattle is advantageous because the cows will gain weight much faster than they would on a natural grass-fed diet and feed corn is extraordinarily cheep. To compensate for the health problems the cows experience, cows are routinely given antibiotics.

The result: cheep beef with higher fat content (marketed as “marbling”), lower omega-3 fatty acid content, and an unfortunate new source of antibiotics in the human diet. Antibiotics are wonderful medicines when we need them, but taking them when we don’t, or having thousands of cattle take them, benefits no one (other than of course those who are profiting on meat sales). Overuse of antibiotics breeds new, dangerous strains of bacteria and decreases the effectiveness of existing antibiotic medicines.

Grass-fed beef and bison are harder to find in stores and are often more expensive per pound. So I buy less, eat beef less often, and enjoy it more. My meal cost really isn’t much different because I change the proportion of beef to veggies (in favor of veggies) and vegetables are both cheap and filling. Another great health and cost-saving strategy is to buy less meat and add protein and fiber-rich beans to your meal. Reducing your red meat intake to about once/week and increasing your intake of vitamin and fiber-rich plants will also cut your risk for many chronic diseases that plague the U.S. including cardiovascular disease (CVD). You can easily find grass-fed beef and bison fresh at Whole Foods, but you can also find frozen bison burgers at a number of grocery stores including Trader Joe’s.

Balsamic Chicken Drumettes & Veggie Pasta Marinara October 28, 2010

My suitemate, Andrea Wang, cooked us a delicious, savory dinner last night: Balsamic Chicken Drumettes & Pasta with Mushrooms, Bell Pepper, Leeks and Marinara Sauce.

Chicken Drumette & Marinara Pasta Dinner

Try it at Home:

Follow the recipe Andrea likes for Balsamic Chicken Drumettes here.

Make your own pasta and add fresh veggies such as the organic green bell pepper, mushrooms and leek Andrea used. For best flavor, saute the veggies in olive oil separately from boiling your pasta and add them to the pasta once it has already been cooked. You can add your marinara sauce to the veggies in the saute pan when they are nearly cooked.

Local flavor: The bell pepper and leek were from Tufts on Campus Farmer’s Market which featured all local (and mostly organic) produce.