|
Lightened Up Green Bean Casserole
with Shallot Crumb Topping
Ingredients:
For the green beans:
2 lbs green beans, cut in half, trimmed & washed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup shallots, minced
16 oz sliced mushrooms
¼ cup flour
1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock (or vegetable)
1 cup Skim milk
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
For the topping:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup shallots, finely diced
½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
½ tsp dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh)
1 tbsp grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Boil a large pot of water, when boiling add green beans and blanch for 2 minutes (or 6-8 minutes if you like them softer). Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop them from cooking. Meanwhile make the topping, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium-low, add breadcrumbs, grated cheese and thyme; sauté until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, careful not to burn. Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly spray a 13x9 inch baking dish. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and sauté 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms, stir constantly for about a minute, then slowly add chicken stock, then milk. Bring to a low boil, and cook stirring occasionally until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in Romano cheese. Add blanched green beans and mix well, season with salt and pepper as needed; pour into prepared baking dish. Top with toasted bread crumbs and bake about 30 minutes.
________________________________________________________________________
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
Ingredients:
2 oz pancetta, minced
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 lbbrussels sprouts (weight after outer leaves and stems removed)
4 cloves garlic, minced or sliced thin
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Directions:
With a large sharp knife, finely shred the brussels sprouts after thoroughly washing. In a deep heavy saute pan, sauté pancetta on medium-low heat until fat melts and pancetta becomes golden, about 5 minutes. Add olive oil and garlic and sauté until golden. Add shredded brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to taste and sauté on medium-low heat for about 4-5 minutes until tender crisp. Makes about 7 cups. Make this a vegetarian by switching the pancetta for shallots.
_______________________________________________________________________
Creamy Cauliflower Purée
Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower, cut up into florets
4 cloves crushed garlic
1/3 cup 1% buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp light butter
Directions:
Steam or boil cauliflower and garlic until soft. Drain, add buttermilk, light butter, salt, pepper and purée with a hand blender. If you don't own a hand blender, you should consider getting one. It is one of my most used gadgets in my kitchen, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. A regular blender would work fine as well.
All recipes courtesy of Skinnytaste!
Let's Eat!
| 
