Sherried Green Beans and Mushrooms

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Foodie friend Michael made these for us along with Hilary's cranberry chicken and they were amazing! Mmmm, mushrooms...

1 1/2 pounds haricots verts (green beans), trimmed

4 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
3/4 pound exotic mushroom blend, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Steam haricots verts 5 minutes or until crisp-tender; remove from heat.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Stir in sherry; bring to a boil. Cook until liquid almost evaporates (about 2 minutes). Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and haricots verts; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated, tossing to coat. Remove from heat. Add parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper; toss to combine.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

[vegan] split pea soup

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I still haven't gotten around to posting this on my blog, but wanted to post it here...  I don't care for celery so I usually leave it out of this recipe.  I LOVE the texture the barley gives to this soup.

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups dry split peas
• 1/2 cup barley or brown rice
• 7 – 9 cups of water
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 3 white potatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley or 3 tablespoons dried
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot over medium heat, add oil, onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender but not burnt. Add 7 cups of water with split peas and barley/rice. Salt and pepper, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for an hour and a half, stirring and adding water if needed.
Add carrots, celery, potato and herbs. Simmer for another 30-60 minutes or until veggies are tender and soup has thickened. Check taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper.
Serve with crusty bread.
Serves 6-8 people.
Source: The Clean Eating Mama

Green Beans with Bacon and Onions

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8 slices bacon, diced
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds greens beans, rinsed and ends trimmed ( I bought the Costco ones that were already washed and trimmed)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven until it is well browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 3 - 4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for just another minute or two.  Don't over cook the garlic or it gets bitter.  Add the green beans and toss to combine.  Increase the heat to medium high and add the water and wine.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer the beans for about 6 minutes.  Remove the lid, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.  Cover and cook until the beans are tender, 1 or 2 minutes longer.
Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and serve.
Makes 4 - 6 servings

Pasta with Barbecued Chicken & Veges

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Randy and Ellie made this for us for dinner one night. It was so quick and easy, and really delicious! There's a lot of flexibility in this recipe - you can use whatever veges, pasta and dressing that you like (or have on hand) and adjust the amount of ingredients for your family. This is the recipe as they made it for 6 people:

4 or 5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 1lb. box Rotini pasta
4 zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise
1 orange or red bell pepper, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and veins removed
1 medium head broccoli, sliced in half or thirds (depending on how big it is)
1 onion, sliced into about 1/4 inch rings (try to keep the rings together)
1 cup (more or less, depending on your taste) Girard's light champagne salad dressing

Preheat your barbecue.
Brush chicken and veges with olive oil. Salt and pepper chicken.
Cook chicken breasts for about 5 - 7 minutes on each side.
Lay the veges on the bbq and cook them, turning once. The time for the veges varies. The zucchini cooks in only about 5 minutes - the broccoli takes longer. Just keep an eye on them and poke them with a fork once in a while to see if they're getting tender. Try not to over cook them or they get mushy.
Take everything off the bbq as it gets done and set it aside.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Cut the chicken and the veges into chunks, combine with the pasta and pour dressing over the top.
This can be eaten room temp. It's also delicious leftover and cold!
I made this again without the chicken and added barbecued, canned artichoke bottoms- yummy!