This recipe was inspired by the lovely haricot verts, or French green beans, that showed up at the market a few weeks ago. Haricot verts are more tender than regular green beans and are perfectly suited for summer salads. Over the past few weeks I have been tweaking the flavors in this dish, which is based on a a recipe from Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express. I gotta gush about this cookbook for a second. The recipes aren’t really recipes, more like paragraphs that loosely describe the amounts of ingredients and steps in a dish. It’s the way I cook in real life, and many of the recipes in Kitchen Express have served as inspiration points for me. I also love that it’s divided up by season, too.

So back to the dish. I never have trouble getting my boyfriend to eat his veggies, but if he was a pickier eater I think he’d still wolf down these green beans. There isn’t a ton of bacon in the recipe, just enough to satisfy a craving for something a little sinful. I also made this with regular green beans and it was just as tasty, though a bit heartier I think. They are a good substitute if you can’t find the delicate French green beans. I love the smokiness imparted by the Black Forest bacon, which also has less fat than regular bacon. If you can’t find it just substitute regular bacon and drain off some of the grease before you saute the onions. You only need a few tablespoons of veggie broth to steam the haricot verts, but again if that’s not something you keep on hand just use water. I did it once and it came out fine. Lastly, I used red quinoa because it was what I had on hand. Though I haven’t tried it yet, I’m sure regular quinoa or even rice would complement the dish nicely. It’s main purpose is to soak up all the tomatoey, bacony goodness from the beans. I have even skipped this step all together and used some crusty French bread to mop up my plate, with satisfying results

Bacon Green Beans with Quinoa

Loosely adapted from Kitchen Express
Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 cup quinoa
3 slices Black Forest bacon (or regular bacon), sliced crosswise into slivers
1/2 half medium onion, chopped
1 pint mushrooms, washed, trimmed and sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced thin (I used a purple one, but green pepper works, too)
1 pound haricot verts or regular green beans, washed and stem ends trimmed
2-3 tablespoons vegetable broth or water
1 very large or two medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely minced
salt to taste

Prep work: Slice the bacon. Chop the onion. Wash and remove the stems from the mushrooms, then slice the caps. Core the pepper and slice. Rinse the green beans and twist or chop off the stem ends (some people leave these on but I don’t like them). Seed and chop the tomato. Core the jalapeno and remove the seeds, then mince fine.

1. In a small saucepan, bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand covered until ready to use.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once heated, add the sliced bacon and cook a few minutes until the fat is rendered. Add the onions and saute with the bacon a minute or two, until the onions begin to soften.
3. Add the mushrooms and continue sauteing until the mushrooms begin to soften and release their moisture. If the veggies are starting to stick you may need to add a splash of vegetable broth or water here, but just a splash.
4. Add the sliced bell pepper, haricot verts and the broth or water. Raise the heat to medium high and cover the pot. Steam for about 5-7 minutes, or until the green beans are tender but still have a nice bite to them. The last thing you want is mushy beans, so keep an eye on them.
5. Once the beans are steamed, add the tomato and the jalapeno, if using. Stir the veggies a few times to combine and heat the tomatoes through. Salt to taste, which will depend on how salty your bacon is.
6. Spoon some quinoa onto a plate and top with the green bean mixture, making sure to ladle on some of the lovely sauce at the bottom of the pot. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I’m busy, I’m packing, blah, blah, blah. You get it by now. In spite of everything going on in my life, I must take time to feed myself nourishing meals. Fast food won’t cut it for me. Maybe I’m high maintenance or a bit snobby. I’m OK with that, because I get to eat lovely dishes like this hearty concoction of winter veggies.

Last week at the market I came across no fewer than 5 types of sweet potato and I knew I had to do something with them. These beauties are high in vitamins A, B6, C and dietary fiber. Most sweet potato dishes I’m familiar with amp up the sweetness with brown sugar. I wanted to take a different approach, so I searched for a savory dish and found this recipe on Real Simple. That site ought to start paying me for advertising because I reference it here so often. It really is my go-to place for recipes when I’m keen on one ingredient.

Combining the sweet potatoes with kale and quinoa make this dish a nutrition boon that includes good doses of iron and calcium. The wine adds a complexity to an otherwise simple dish, but if you don’t have any on hand you could substitute broth. I’d recommend skipping the broth and buying a nice bottle of wine that you can finish off with dinner

Sweet Potato, Kale and Quinoa

Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes
Cost per serving: ~$3.50

1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small sweet potatoes, about a pound
8 ounces sliced cremini or “baby bella” mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch kale
3/4 cup dry white wine (or veggie broth)
kosher salt and black pepper

Prep: Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite-sized chunks. Remove the stems from the kale by folding in half lengthwise and running a knife down the side of the stem. Tear the kale into 2 inch pieces and rinse in a strainer. Peel and chop the garlic.

1. In a small saucepan, bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot. Don’t use a skillet here because you will never get all of the kale in there. Add the sweet potatoes and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms soften.
3. Add the garlic and toss with the veggies, then add the kale, wine or broth and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the kale often and cook until it starts to wilt and soften, about 10 minutes.
4. Serve the quinoa in bowls topped with the veggies.

I can’t believe how much vitamin A and C is in this dish, and check out the iron, protein and fiber content. What this label doesn’t show is the nice dose of the B vitamins and vitamin K you get, too. This one is going to stay in my repertoire for when I’m feeling the winter doldrums in Chicago.

This recipe really couldn’t be easier. I even hesitate to call it a recipe.

Quinoa Qurispies

Adapted (barely) from this recipe
Makes 4 servings
Cost: pennies per serving
Total time: 10 minutes tops

1 cup uncooked quinoa (find it in the bulk bins at Whole Foods or boxed in the health food or pasta aisle)
1 Tablespoon agave nectar, syrup or honey
1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and spread the mixture on a cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the quinoa starts to turn golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
3. Add the qurispies to your morning cereal or yogurt. I especially love the extra crunch and sweetness they give to yogurt.

I may experiment with the sweetener and use molasses for an even bigger dose of iron. I told y’all, I’m not messin’ around.

Photo Credit SweetBeetAndGreenBean

I call this Hippie Salad because it contains two grains that hippies love: bulgur and quinoa. How am I privy to the culinary preferences of hippies? I used to be one, a friggin’ vegetarian even, and that’s when I learned how to cook both grains.

See? It's not so scary, is it?

If you aren’t a hippie it would do you good to give bulgur and quinoa a shot. Bulgur is more nutrient-dense than rice and contains wicked amounts of fiber. Quinoa is high in protein, which is why my former veggie self ate it. In fact, it’s one of the only grains that qualifies as a complete protein because it contains all the essential amino acids. That won’t stop me from adding chicken to this dish, though. If anything the chicken takes us down from “This stuff is totally foreign to me” to “Hey, I can recognize some of those ingredients!” Vegetarians can skip the chicken, cuz like I said the grains will provide plenty of protein.

You can buy both bulgur and quinoa in the bulk aisle of Whole Foods or in the health food section of most larger grocery stores.

Hippie Salad with Chicken

(adapted from this recipe)
Serves 2-3 as a main dish
Total time: 30 minutes
Cost per serving $4-5

I'm trying to be more artsy with my food photos

1. Heat the oil over med-high heat in a skillet. Add the chicken to the pan and cook 6-8 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through.
2. While the chicken cooks, combine the quinoa and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered about 20 minutes. The quinoa germ, which looks like a curly-Q, will start to separate from the grain when its done. Drain the quinoa in a sieve then dump in a big bowl.
3. While quinoa is doing it’s thing on the stove, nuke or heat about 3 cups of water to close to boiling. Place the bulgur in a separate bowl and cover with the heated water. Cover and let the bulgur soak for about 15 minutes, until it’s tender and chewy. Drain this too and mix in with the quinoa.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest a few minutes while you prepare the dressing.
5. For the dressing, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro or mint and pepper in a small bowl. Chop the cooled chicken into bite sized chunks. Stir that into the grains, then add the dressing, olives, radishes, and feta. Serve immediately.