Food Friday - Breakfast or Dessert!

From Tracey G.

This is one of those recipes I am so glad I ran across and so glad I tried! I absolutely love it and have since realized the base batter would take blueberries really well too! That was Harry's idea, he doesn't like raspberries much because of the seeds, admittedly I am not a seed fan either, but I love raspberries too much to let it stop me! (But I do buy seedless jams when I have that option!) I think just about any berry would work really lovely in this now that I stop to think past raspberries and blueberries.

It does call for almond milk, and the first time I made these I happened to have some around and have had it around since because I really do like the stuff. But I suppose if you don't have it, regular milk or skim would work well too. It's worth a try anyway!

I originally made these to use up some frozen raspberries I had on hand and some ricotta cheese I had left-over from another recipe I'd made. It's so nice when something like that happens, and you end up with a lovely product to show for it!

There's really not too much to say about the recipe. It initially sounds like a bit of work, but it's really not and does come together rather easily. The only thing sort of time consuming is whipping the egg whites up, first time I did it by hand, lol, I now make that aspect of it in the stand mixer, just to save some time - they're whisking up while I'm getting the rest of the stuff going.

This is another recipe I found courtesy of Taste Of Home in one of my magazines!

Lemon-Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes

(found here: Lemon-Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes)

Yield: about 24

1 1/2 cups cake flour or all-purpose (I've only used all-purpose)

1/4 sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla flavored)

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

3 large eggs, separated

2 tsp grated lemon peel

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (I've only used frozen)

Whipped cream, maple syrup and additional raspberries

1) In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk the almond milk, ricotta cheese, egg yolks, lemon peel, lemon juice and almond extract until blended. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened . In a clean small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. Gently stir in raspberries.

2) Lightly grease a griddle;  heat over medium heat. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook until bubbles on top begin to pop and bottoms are golden brown. Turn; cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with whipped cream, syrup and additional raspberries.

Nutritional Facts - 3 pancakes (calculated without toppings): 203 calories; 5g fat (2g saturated fat); 79 mg cholesterol; 254mg sodium; 31g carbohydrates (7g sugars, 2g fiber); 8g protein


from Kris B.

Hands down, breakfast is my favorite meal.  I'm not always fond of mornings, but breakfast food of any kind always makes me happy.  During the school year, however, I am a creature of habit - vanilla yogurt topped with cheerios and blueberries, a banana, and the obligatory cup (or two) of coffee every morning.  Now that it is summer, our morning routine is a bit less structured.  Translation: I am not teaching any 7:30 am classes so I am more coherent and creative when it comes to fixing and eating breakfast.   And now that my hubby is retired, breakfast may have more variety even when I go back to school in the fall!  That is exciting.

The best thing about summer eating in general is all of the fresh veggies and fruit.  It all looks so good at the market.  I was trying to think of a good way to use all the fruit I have in a creative breakfast, without just making a fruit bowl as a side.  When my kids were little, I used to make "fruit pizza" - sugar cookie dough, vanilla frosting, and fruit topping.  I decided that I wanted a variation on that that didn't begin with a cookie base.  Don't get me wrong; sadly, I would be perfectly happy to eat cookies for breakfast, but neither the scale or my waistline would be very happy with that choice. Lol!  I searched for a recipe that had a healthier "crust."  I found one that is perfect!  It is created from cereal and rolled oats.  The "sauce" is cream cheese and powdered sugar.  The toppings are the fruit of your choice.

This is probably not the recipe I should have chosen to share this week.  I week ago, while dicing figs for a fig compote,  in addition to cutting the figs, I also sliced my finger, which required a few stitches.  Because of this unfortunate encounter with my knife, I am not allowed to use knives at the moment. :-)  As you can tell, there is quite a bit of sliced fruit used here.  Since my husband placed the moratorium on knife use, at least for me, he got to slice all of the fruit.  I am glad that he was willing to help.

Whether it is scrambled eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, or fruit tart, I will eat breakfast foods any time of day for any meal.  This fruit tart is no exception!  And like the sugar cookie fruit pizzas that I made for my girls, this also makes a fantastic snack or dessert as well!

INGREDIENTS
For the base
1 Cup breakfast cereal with flakes (I used vanilla-almond Special K.)
1 Cup rolled oats
1 Cup sweetened coconut
3/4 Cup honey or maple syrup  (( used honey.)

For the "sauce"
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla (or other extract, starting with 1/2 tsp and working to taste)

For the topping
Fruit of your choice (I used strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, peaches, and banana

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease a 9 inch tart pan with cooking spray and set aside.  *Do use cooking spray rather than butter because the tart is refrigerated before serving.  If you use butter, it will harden and the tart will be difficult to remove from the pan.

Use a rolling pin to crush the cereal into crumbs.  mix them with the oatmeal, coconut, and honey or syrup.  Press this mixture into the prepared tart pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Cool completely before adding the next two layers.

Using a mixer, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and extract.

Once the crust is cooled, spread the cream cheese mixture on top.  Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

While the crust and cream cheese chill, slice the desired fruits.  Remove the pan from the refrigerator and arrange the fruit on top, pushing it gently into the cream cheese mixture.  Return the completed tart to the fridge for about 30 minutes.

To serve, remove rim from the tart pan and slice into ten pieces.

Nutritional Facts : 270 calories; 6.3g fat (4.1g saturated fat); 10mg cholesterol; 144mg sodium; 52g carbohydrates (38g sugars, 2g fiber); 3.9g protein

***I also can't type very well with the stitches in my finger, so I apologize for any typos here!

Food Friday - It's Eat Your Veggies Day!!

from Tracey G.

This week's recipes just kind of happened when Kris and I were talking food. I'd just sent her a text saying I seemed to be on a broccoli kick - which isn't a stretch since it's one of my all-time favorite vegetables. There really isn't a vegetable I don't like - the one exception that comes to mind is okra. I just can't do okra. Nope. Don't care, not my thing, I know lots of people who do like it and that's ok! I do not harbor any okra-eating prejudices at all!! It's just not for me...

But anyway, we got talking about broccoli, because I was going on how I like it because it's a great side dish to make in these days of watching what I'm eating, and it's one thing I don't have to worry about watching! Granted, my from-childhood way to eat it is (warm or cold, no matter to me) with red wine vinegar, olive oil and some salt. Bar none, that is my go-to way to eat it and cauliflower actually. (And it makes canned spinach and canned asparagus pretty yummy as well, I LOVED both as a kid because of it!) It even works in my mindful eating plan, since extra virgin olive oil packs a lot flavor even in the teensiest drizzle to give me that "comfort food" feel! 

But I was wanting something a little different for the heck of it. I'd made a yummy new recipe a couple weeks ago, "Asian Orange Beef". The sauce included fresh ginger, orange juice, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. I'd made broccoli to go along with it and discovered my broccoli tasted pretty darn good dipped in the extra sauce. That led me to today's recipe.  I found one to use as a jumping off point and then put my own spin on it. I also wanted a recipe I could use frozen broccoli with because it's certainly NOT broccoli season around here, and even when it is - the stuff in my stores is always terrible looking, so I depend a LOT on frozen broccoli florets, and that's what I wanted to work with!

Asian Inspired Broccoli

Serves 2 (feel free to double or triple etc)

3-4 cups frozen broccoli, thawed

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 tsp canola oil

1/4 cup water + 2 tbsp, divided

3 tsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp grated lemon peel

1/8 - 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the broccoli, ginger and garlic, add the 1/4 cup water. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the broccoli is crisp tender and water cooks down to about half. Add the hoisin sauce and extra 2 tbsp water if needed. Cook and stir until broccoli is evenly coated. Before serving, toss with the 1 tsp of lemon juice (or you can add more to your taste, I just liked the "hint" of lemon flavor). Garnish with the lemon peel and red pepper flakes. 

from Kris B.

Broccoli!  I love broccoli!  Therefore writing a recipe with broccoli should be easy because it is my favorite green vegetable and we eat it all the time.  The problem is that when 
I make it as a dinner side, all I do is coat it in a little olive oil, sprinkle it with pepper and maybe a little salt or garlic salt and throw it in the oven to roast for 15-20 minutes.  If we are being fancy, I may grate a little fresh Parmesan cheese on the top right before serving.  That’s it.  And I feel like I could eat broccoli in ad infinitum prepared just like this.  The problem here is that basic roasted broccoli doesn’t seem like enough “recipe” for today’s post.  So, for my contribution this week, I actually turned to a searching for a new recipe, a new way to enjoy my favorite green vegetable.

I discovered lots of variations on the broccoli slaw theme.  I make and enjoy a few such recipes, but almost everyone has a favorite along these lines.  I also found a good number of recipes with broccoli and pasta or grains.  Again, they sounded good, but were nothing substantially different than I do myself.  And then I found today;s recipe.

I already said that I love broccoli.  Sweet potatoes are also a personal favorite.  And we all know how I feel about bread.  And a few nuts and a little spice and it should be good.  Nonetheless, I found myself hearing a mantra that I used to say to my children, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”  Just because I can make a spiced sweet potato spread, spread it on a piece of toast, and then top all of that with broccoli doesn’t necessarily mean that I should do that, or expect it to be good.  The clincher to me giving in and trying this recipe was that it calls for fresh basil. Last week Weber said to me that we needed to find something to do with basil because the basil plants in our garden are getting huge.  I considered that a sign and committed to giving this seemingly strange but potentially good combination a try.  The original recipe is from the February 2014 bon appetit.

The Spiced Sweet Potato and Roasted Broccoli Toast is relatively easy to make, especially because both the sweet potatoes and broccoli can be made up to three days in advance of serving, leaving just the toasting of the bread and assembling to be done at the point that you are ready to serve these.

We ate these as an afternoon snack.  They also make a would make a great appetizer or perhaps even lunch.  Weber said that they are quite filling.

I won’t deny that the combination is a little odd, but it is a good kind of odd.  And, these are a reasonably healthy food choice whether eaten as a snack, appetizer or as a meal.

INGREDIENTS

For the Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato (approx. 12 oz.) peeled and cut into  1” cubes

1 red Thai chile (optional), halved, some seeds removed

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Broccoli

1 Large head of broccoli, stems removed  and cut into large florets

6 TBS olive oil

2 TBS chopped raw pistachios

1 TBS (or more) lemon juice

1 TBS fresh basil, divided

1 TBS fresh mint, divided

4 slices of crusty  bread

Olive oil to coat bread

Flaky sea salt

Combine the sweet potato, chile, orange juice and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan; season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and then simmer until the sweet potato is very soft and the liquid has evaporated (20-25 minutes).  Remove from heat and mash.  Let cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss broccoli and 2 TBS olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper.  Roast until tender (15-20 minutes).  Let cool and then coarsely chop.

Meanwhile, brush both sides of the bread with olive oil.  Toast on a baking sheet until golden brown (6-8 minutes).  Toss broccoli, nuts, lemon juice, half of the basil and mint, and 4 TBS olive oil in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

Spread toasts with sweet potato, top with broccoli mixture and remaining basil and mint, and sprinkle with sea salt.  

Cut into pieces.

That is the recipe as it originally appeared.  Here are the changes that I made:

• I used sliced almonds instead of pistachios.
• I did not toss the broccoli with the extra 2 TBS of olive oil when combining it with the basil and mint.
• I added all of the basil and mint to the broccoli rather than saving some for garnish.  I still could have used more in the broccoli.
• I did not garnish with the salt or use as much salt during the preparation.
• If you want a little hot but don't have a Thai chile, toss a few red pepper flakes in with the broccoli rather than the sweet potatoes.

If you try this recipe, I'd love to know your thoughts - good, bad , or otherwise.

Food Friday - Our Husbands' Special Request Popcorn

from Tracey G.

Jeremy and I were chatting about popcorn the other day, it's been a hot topic since I bought myself a hot air popcorn popper, about a flavored microwave popcorn we'd loved years ago. It was by Orville Redenbacher, it popped up cinnamony and sweet and then you drizzled an "icing" packet on it once you got it in the bowl. Oh. My. Gosh. It was fantastic, and the funny thing is, I thought there was no way this stuff could be good, I mean, come on! Cinnamon popcorn?? Yuck! I was never more wrong, ever!! Well, I don't think you can get it anymore, so we were discussing how sad that was, because it was a yummy occasional treat - and back then by "occasional" I mean an every evening treat!

That led to Jeremy stating it would be nice to find a recipe to make it homemade, which actually meant, "hey, will you look for a recipe for it and make it now that you have that popper?"! It was pretty good timing too since Kris and I had just talked about doing flavored popcorn sometime in the near future as a fun project/recipe to do. And so that's how this week's treats came about. Not exactly "diet" food - but we aren't doing the traditional "diet" kind of thing anyway - we've decided to eat mindfully, and that means everything in moderation. There is room for the occasional treat when you want - we just generally build them into our day. So, that means the real deal is allowed! And honestly, after I plugged in the numbers/ingredients into SparkPeople's recipe calculator, this treat (not counting the powdered sugar-cinnamon icing drizzle) clocked in at 149 calories per 1 cup serving. That's not too bad at all!!

I found this recipe on Pinterest - that place has become a s source of all things fun for me, and there's no shortage of recipes, one of my first true loves! But I do notice that I'll have a tendency to pin a bunch of recipes then start pinning exercise - as if that will negate all the calories I just pinned I guess... ha! But, anyway, this recipe came from another blog, called Bake Then Eat (baketheneat.com) and can be found here: Cinnabon Popcorn 

I can't thank her enough for creating this recipe! It's easy and yummy and well, just perfect as far as we're concerned! Jeremy and I discussed today the addition of nuts and whatnot and they would work so well in this recipe that it's definitely going to be something that will find its way into future renditions of the stuff! And I told Jeremy today that I do believe I've found another treat to add to my holiday baking food gift repertoire! And that is always a good thing!!

Without the icing drizzle this should keep pretty well in an airtight container for about 5 days. As you can imagine, with the drizzle it would get a bit soggy, so only drizzle your current servings etc. for non-mushy popcorn!!!

 And now, the recipe...

Cinnabon Popcorn

from: Bake Then Eat (baketheneat.com) and can be found here: Cinnabon Popcorn

16 -1 cup servings

1/2 cup popcorn kernels, popped via your desired method to attain 16 cups popped. (I  air-popped mine)

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

Glaze:

3 tbsp powdered sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (I used less, about 1/8 of a tsp for my personal taste)

1 tsp water

1) Preheat oven to 300°F.

2) In a medium sized sauce pan, add the sugar, butter, corn syrup, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Melt the ingredients together - but do not boil. You just want to melt and dissolve things gently. You could also melt them together in the microwave.

3) Cool to the touch and add the baking soda. Your mixture will bubble up and become a bit foamy and that's ok.*

4) Coating the popcorn: I put some coated freezer paper down on my island, dumped the popcorn on it and then drizzled the coating on it. I sprayed my hands down with a little cooking spray and mixed it all by hand - and it worked really well in getting the coating evenly distributed. I suppose you could do it on a cookie sheet too - whatever works best for you! I just know, for me, it was easier to mix by hand than trying to toss it all together in a bowl.

5) Spread the coated popcorn in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.

6) Take it out of the oven and allow to fully cool, about 15 minutes or so. This will allow the coating to harden.

7) To make the glaze, combine the ingredients in small bowl and mix well. Adjust the ingredients according to your taste - more powdered sugar for thicker and more water if you want it thinner! Drizzle over popcorn per serving.

*My mixture did not foam or bubble. I'm not sure if it was less-than-active baking soda, or if my mixture was cooler than it should have been when it was added - I'm not sure. But I do know it turned out just fine even if it didn't!

Nutritional information (popcorn only), serving size 1 cup, as per SparkPeople Recipe Calculator: Calories 149; Total Fat 6.1g (saturated fat 3.7g, polyunsaturated fat .4 g, monounsaturated fat 1.6 g) Cholesterol 15.5 mg; Sodium 92.2 mg; Potassium 74.8 mg; Total Carbohydrates 28.8 g; Dietary Fiber 1.3 g; Sugars 22.5 g; Protein 1 g


from Kris B.

Today is Weber’s birthday.  We tend to do non-traditional birthday treats at our house.  When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, his first response was apple pie.  Then we started talking about popcorn.  And then came the possibility of making Apple Pie popcorn.  I was surprised to see that there are quite a few recipes on the Internet for Apple Pie popcorn; none of them did exactly what I wanted, so I set out to create my own recipe by taking various ideas that I found in different recipes.  I wanted something that had actual apples, the “correct” spices, and maybe something that even hinted at a crust.  Eventually I was successful, but I had one dismal failure along the way!  My first attempt had a decent flavor, but was a soggy mess; its consistency was much like those dissolvable packing peanuts!  Not to be defeated by popcorn, I tried again.  The second attempt was much better!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 Cup uncooked popcorn (to yield 15 cups popped)

1 Cup chopped pecans

4 graham crackers

1.2 oz package of freeze dried apples

1 tsp. apple cider mix

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Cups brown sugar (dark or light)

12 TBS butter

1/4 Cup plus 2 TBS corn syrup 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Butter a large roasting pan.
2. Pop the popcorn using your preferred method.  I used an air popper.  Place the popcorn in the buttered roasting pan  Add the pecan pieces.  Set aside.
3. Combine the graham crackers, apples, cider mix, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a food processor.  Process until you have a course powder.  Set aside.
4. Place the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan.  Over medium heat, bring to a boil.  Stir occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved (4-5 minutes).  Once the mixture begins to boil, allow it to boil for 3 minutes.  Do not stir.  Remove from heat.
5. Whisk in the vanilla and the baking soda.  The caramel mixture will double in volume.  Fold in the dry mixture from the food processor.  Stir just long enough to incorporate.
6. Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and nuts.  Using a rubber spatula, gently stir to coat all of the popcorn. Place on the middle oven rack and bake for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
8. Regardless of how tempting it may be, do not eat the entire pan of popcorn at once!

Nutritional information: serving size 1 cup, as per SparkPeople Recipe Calculator: Calories 226; Total Fat 14.4g (saturated fat 5.9g, polyunsaturated fat 2.1 g, monounsaturated fat 5.7g) Cholesterol 23.3 mg; Sodium 108.1 mg; Potassium 102 mg; Total Carbohydrates 30.4 g; Dietary Fiber 1.2 g; Sugars 27 g; Protein 1.1 g

Food Friday - What's for Dinner?

from Kris B.

I don't like the heat that Texas summer's bring, but I do like the abundance of fresh veggies.  I feel like I eat a little better during the summer months because of all this freshness.  Unfortunately, I don't care much for canned and frozen vegetables, so the winter months for me are marked by a lot of squash!  I love squash, but I do get tired of it after awhile.

As far as leafy greens, spinach is by far my

 favorite.  I'll add it to almost anything.  Asparagus is one of those things that I have leaned to appreciate as an adult.  I never wanted it on my childhood plate!  I don't know if that is because my mom served it from a can or if it was fresh and seriously over cooked.  Whatever the case, I always thought it was mushy and smelled bad.  Lol!

This dish is an adaptation of a couple different recipes and is a summertime favorite at our house.  If you are not an asparagus fan or have greens other than spinach, substitute away, just about anything will work here...even squash!

INGREDIENTS
12 oz. store bought gnocchi
8 oz. spinach
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 Cup parmesan cheese and extra for garnish
2 TBS toasted almonds
6 spears of asparagus
3 TBS butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat  olive oil over medium high in a large pan.  Add the spinach and sauté until bright green and wilted.  Remove to a cutting board and allow it to cool.

Cook the gnocchi by adding it to a pot of boiling water.  Cook for three minutes.  the pieces should rise to the top.  Reserve about 1/2 cup of the water in which you cooked the gnocchi.  Drain the gnocchi.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, garlic, almonds, a 1/4 of parmesan cheese.  Mix and mash the ingredients together.  It will look like green paste.  It may not look appetizing at this point, but it will taste good in the end!

Trim the asparagus and cut it into bite-seized pieces, about 1 inch.  In the same pan you used to cook the spinach, melt the butter.  Add the cooked gnocchi and the asparagas.  Sauté until the gnocchi is golden brown and the asparagus is soft but not much.  Lol!   I know what you're thinking.  Butter???Butter gets a bad rap. We all need a little fat in our diets, it helps the gnocchi and asparagus brown just a little, and, admit it, it tastes good!  Once cooked, add the gnocchi and asparagas to the spinach mixture.  If it seems to dry, add a little of the reserved gnocchi water a tablespoon at a time until it seems moist enough.  You do not want standing liquid in the bowl, just nicely coated gnocchi!  Season with salt and pepper and garniush with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

I usually serve this warm, but my daughter prefers it cold.  So, I guess anything goes!

Makes 2-3 servings

Nutrition information: per serving; 377 calories; 18.8g fat; 43.9g carbohydrates; 13.3g protein; 6.1g fiber; 800mg sodium

The Bean Thing - that's the actual name, not just something we called it because we couldn't remember the name, and I've always loved it! The minute I take a bite of this salad I am a kid again. It's not sweet at all like most bean salads and that's what drew my mom to the recipe, it was different from most bean "salad" recipes out there. My mom made this often for "special occasions"  - meaning  mostly those things where you need a dish to pass. This couldn't be any easier and it's a powerhouse of good the stuff that beans have to offer. Now, my mom mostly served it as a side dish. And I have too, but for me it's a 50/50 mix of making it to go with something and making because this is the something that I want! I love to use it as a light lunch in the summer (winter too because it uses canned beans and corn - I've also used frozen corn for this too and it works just as well) and I've been known to have it for dinner with some nice bread, lol. In fact, it was my lunch today!

The original recipe is fine as it is, it uses heart healthy olive oil as the oil for the dressing. I have taken it a bit further and played with the amount of oil that goes in and I've come to the conclusion that you can cut it back to a little over a 1/4 cup and it still tastes pretty darn good! I've lessened the sodium as well, even though I pretty much exclusively use kosher salt, less salt is less salt. Kosher salt is great due to the flat nature of the crystals, you get big salt taste for a lot less of the stuff!  But this recipe is from the late 60's early 70's and at that time it was salt salt salt! I imagine you could skip it entirely and just salt your own portion. It also helps to use lower-sodium canned beans & corn to help reduce it as well. The original recipe calls for green pepper to be added, but Jeremy, my husband is not a big green pepper fan, so I omit it. And that's just fine - this does well without it. Another thing it does well without are the chickpeas - I love them, Jeremy does not, so, I used cannellini beans and all is well. Versatile recipes that you can swap without losing the integrity of the dish are hands-down my favorite kind! I hate not being able to make something because I'm lacking one ingredient, that drives me crazy! I love to use whatever I have on hand and have it be just as good as if I had everything right down to the letter. That makes me a pretty happy girl!  

I believe my mom cut this out of a newspaper or something, but it was actually a recipe written for red wine - not sure anymore it was a particular kind/brand etc because the original recipe has been long gone for quite awhile now, in fact, I don't think I've ever actually seen the original clipping!

The Bean Thing

serves about 8 officially

1 can red kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can chickpeas or cannellini beans

1 can sweet corn

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 green pepper chopped

Dressing:

3/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp vinegar

3 tbsp red wine

1 clove garlic crushed (or I use my microplane grater instead of my press sometimes!)

2 tsp salt (less is fine)

black pepper to taste

Combine beans and corn in a colander. Rinse under cold water and drain well. Place in a serving bowl, add green pepper and green onion. In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and mix well. Pour over bean and vegetable mixture. Toss to coat and refrigerate until serving time. This is always better the longer it gets the chance to sit and marinate.