The 2 Spoons

Perfect Green Beans with Garlic and Lemon in Browned Butter

January 22, 2019 by Becky Spoon

Green beans are probably the most used vegetable than any other. Green bean casserole, country style with pork slow cooked until almost falling apart, wrapped in bacon, in a Niçoise salad, in a soup….so many uses.

Great Beans — Perfect Browned Butter and Garlic Green Beans

I love green beans. They are that vegetable that you have in the pantry even if you don’t have fresh and with a little seasoning, some bacon, onions, garlic, and salt and pepper, even the canned turn out to be a delicious side dish.

I par cooked these fresh green beans, then quickly sautéed them with chopped garlic in brown butter until heated through and tender, with still a little crunch, and finished them with lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice!

Below is Information I found on the internet. The link is at the bottom!

Fresh green beans are very low in calories (31 calories per 100 g of raw bean pods) and contain no saturated fat. Nevertheless, these lean pod vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and plant derived micronutrients.
The beans are a very rich source of dietary fiber (9% per 100g RDA) which acts as a bulk laxative. Fiber helps to protect colon mucosa by decreasing its exposure time to toxic substances as well as by binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the gut. An adequate amount of fiber in the diet has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing reabsorption of cholesterol-binding bile acids in the colon.
Green beans contain excellent levels of vitamin-A, and health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and β -carotene in right amounts. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
Zea-xanthin, an important dietary carotenoid in the beans, selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it thought to provide antioxidant and protective UV-light filtering functions. It is, therefore, green beans offer some protection in the prevention of age-related macular disease(ARMD) in the older adults.
Snap beans are an excellent source of folates. 100 g fresh beans provide 37 µg or 9% of folates. Folate along with vitamin B-12 is one of the essential components of DNA synthesis and cell division. A good folate diet, when given during preconception periods and pregnancy, may help prevent neural-tube defects in the newborn babies.
Green beans also carry good amounts of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), thiamin (vitamin B-1), and vitamin-C. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.
Moreover, green beans contain healthy amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium, which very essential for body metabolism. Manganese is a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase, which is a very potent free radical scavenger. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Sourcehttps://www.nutrition-and-you.com/green_beans.html

This recipe is easy and fast and you’re not cooking all the nutrients out; just the opposite, retaining them with the quick cook!

Enjoy!

Perfect Green Beans with Garlic and Lemon in Browned Butter

These green beans are the perfect side dish for all most any main course!

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, easy side dish, vegetable

CuisineAmerican

Keywordvegetable, side dish, easy side dish, greeb beans

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Servings Servings

Ingredients

1 Lb Fresh green beans with stem removed
Water for blanching
Salt
2 Tsp Unsalted butter
1/2 Tsp Garlic
Zest of a lemon
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Fill a saucepan with water and generously add salt. Bring to a boil and add the green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Remove the beans from the pan and immediately sub merge in ice water.
Heat the butter in a saucepa. When the butter starts to brown just a little add the garlic and immediately add the green beans.
Toss the beans a couple of times until heated through. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and the zest of one lemon. Add a pinch of a salt and fresh ground pepper.

Try Sunday Pot Roast! These green beans will be the perfect side dish https://the2spoons.com/sunday-pot-roast/

Delicious & Healthy Flank Steak Peperonata –

January 17, 2019 by Becky Spoon

Delicious and Healthy Flank Steak Peperonata features the flank steak which is one of the healthiest beef cuts—ounce for ounce. The flank steak has fewer calories and more protein than a ribeye or porterhouse. Flank is one of the great cuts—very lean and with a lot of flavor if you don’t overcook it and know how to slice it (across the grain). Flank is aperfect cut of meat to be used when you are reaching for lots of flavor, high in protein and low in calories.

Delicios and Healthy Flank Steak Peperonata — Delicious and Healthy Flank Steak Peperonata

I don’t like to discuss nutrition or calorie counts on my blog because I am not an expert in that. But you know, sometimes I decide that the 2 Spoon’s haven’t eaten as healthy as we should be eating so adding this flank steak recipe amps up our protein intake. This is what Living Strong had to say about Flank Steak. “Flank steak is a relatively lean cut of beef. For less than 165 calories, you can have a 3-ounce broiled flank steak. The biggest percentage of those calories, or 60 percent of calories, are from protein. This serving of flank steak has close to 100 calories from protein. ” Here is a link to that article: https://www.livestrong.com/article/284978-how-many-calories-does-a-beef-steak-have/

Protein Packed Flank Steak Pepernata — Delicious and Healthy Flank Steak Peperonata

So, like everyone else, we get on the band wagon and try and live a little healthier life. Honestly, we really do live a very healthy life. We don’t eat fast food, we really do make most things from scratch. But that’s a whole new blog post! We will continue with this blog post of protein packed and delicious and healthy flank steak peperonata.

With all of that said…..this is a great recipe that I do know is high in protein, low in calories and packed full of flavors. This flank steak is absolutely delicious!

Flank Steak Peperonata

Print Recipe

CourseMain Course

CuisineMexican

Keywordflank, lean, protein, steak

Ingredients

For the Flank Steak Marinade

2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

For the Peperonata

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus a little for serving
4 red or hellow bell peppers, quartered, stemmed, seeded, and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch wide strips
1 onion, quartered through root and sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch wide strips
6 garlic cloves, lightly crshed and peeled
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp capers plus 4 tsps caper brine
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

Combine the oregano, 1 tsp salt and the 1/4 cup olive oil in a bowl. Rub the steak with the oregano and olive oil mixture on both sides and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Remove the steak from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Meanwhile, heat the 1/3 cup oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, onion, garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and their juice, capers, and brine, and pepper flakes and cook, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. transfer peperonata to bowl, cover and keep warm.
Prepare your grill or heat an iron skillet until almost smoking. Sprinkle a little pepper on the steak and place on the grill. Cook steak 5-7 minutes on each side until internal temperature reaches 120 to 125 for medium rare. Remove steak from the grill or skillet and cover loosely with foil and rest for about 10 minutes.
Add the basil to the peperonata. Slice the steaks thinly across the grain. This is very important. Otherwise, the steak will be tough, but cut across the grain you’ll have a steak that will melt in your mouth. Serve the steak with the peperonata.

Our Favorite, Effortless Chorizo with Eggs and Cheese, Refried Beans and Hashbrowns

January 16, 2019 by Becky Spoon

When I visit Mexico the breakfast are legendary. There are fried eggs with picant tomato sauce (huevos rancheros) that are delicious and scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes, eggs with chorizo, beans and potatoes with fresh made tortillas. — A corn tortilla with Mexican Chorizo, the famous Mexican sausage, scrambled with eggs, cheese, with hashbrowns and refried beans

“From Rick Bayless’s cookbook, Autehentic Mexican writing about Chorizo : “it is certainly like no other sausage: fragrant with herbs and spices, rich and tender with deep red chile, and pleasantly sharp with a touch of vinegar. It hangs in undulating strings all over Toluca (like waves of the Mike, says Sr. Sanchez Garcia) in the butcher counters that border one of the big market buildings and in the beautifully packed taco stalls a few buildings over.

And it’s in the little downtown stores that sell Toluca treasures like asadeti cheese, jars of colorful pickled vegetables, and bottles of orange flavored liquor called Moscow. Strings of chorizos, red with dried peppers and uniquely green with tomatillos, fresh coriander and hit chiles-either of them textured with peanuts, almonds, raisins or pine nuts.”

When I visit Mexico the breakfast are legendary. There are fried eggs with picant tomato sauce (huevos rancheros) that are delicious and scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes, eggs with chorizo, beans and potatoes with fresh made tortillas. I always find Chilaquiles, posole, sauces, refried beans, potatoes, salsa, all kinds of eggs prepared with mexican ingredients.

So my recipe is with the Mexican chorizo prevalent in our region or I should say in Texas, where TexMex rules! There is beef or pork chorizo at the supermarket and many different brands. Honestly I don’t have a recommendation; all I’ve tried has been delicious. I will say, in my opinion, I do like the brands that seem more firm.

This is one of the other Spoon’s favorite breakfast! He likes everything on a plate to eat with a fork scooping into a tortilla; I like to build everything into a tortilla and eat it as a taco!

Mexican Chorizo with scrambled eggs, cheese, hashbrowns and Refried Beans! — I love these!

Try Mexican Chorizo if you haven’t yet!! Here’s the step by step recipe for this yummy breakfast! Bon Appétit!

Scrambled Eggs with Potatoes and Harissa

January 10, 2019 by Becky Spoon

I’m still cooking Mediterranean this morning with this breakfast dish. If you haven’t tried Harissa, you must.

It is a fiery North African paste that is orangey-red in colour. It’s a mixture of peppers, dried red chillies, garlic, caraway seeds, ground cumin and coriander, tomato purée, salt and olive oil. It can be used as a condiment or as an ingredient in cooking and provides a real boost!

Here’s a picture so you’ll know what to look for. I found it at HEB, you can find it at Whole Foods and other grocery stores that sell a good variety of foods and it may be in a jar.

If you can’t find Harissa you can make it with 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 6 garlic cloves minced, 2 tablespoons paprika, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon ground dried Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Combine in a bowl and microwave until bubbly, about a minute, stirring halfway through. Cool to room temperature. Harissa is great on vegetables , eggs, meats, soups and even sandwiches.

More cooking from Mediterranean inspired recipes! This recipe is light with just using very little extra virgin olive oil, steaming the potatoes and the Harissa and cilantro adding so much flavor. I love this! Here’s the recipe.

This recipe is light with just using very little extra virgin olive oil, steaming the potatoes and the Harissa and cilantro adding so much flavor. I love this! Here’s the recipe.

Scrambled Eggs with Potatoes and Harissa

Print Recipe

CourseBreakfast

CuisineAmerican

Keywordharissa, mediterranean,diet

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
8 Oz Red potatoes, unpeeled,cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 Oz Cremini mushrooms, button are fine too, halved if small or quartered if large
1/2 Onion, chopped fine
1/2 Cup Plus 2 tablespoons water
Salt and pepper
1 Garlic clove, minced
12 Large eggs
2 Tbsp Harissa, plus extra for serving
2 Tbsp Cilantro, fresh and chopped

Instructions

Heat 2 tbsp oil in 12 inch non stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add potatoes, mushrooms, onions, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until evaporated and potatoes are golden brown. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
Beat eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons water together with fork in a bowl until thoroughly combined and mixture is pure yellow.
Wipe skillet clean with paper towels and heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the egg mixture, constantly scraping the bottom and sides of the skillet until eggs begin to clump, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and gently and constantly fold eggs until clumped and slightly wet. Off the heat gently fold in potato mixture. Drizzle with the harissa and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately, passing extra harissa.

Easy & Comforting – Greek White Bean Soup

January 9, 2019 by Becky Spoon

Fasolatha, considered to be one of Greece’s national dishes, is a creamy white bean soup consisting of creamy white beans, peppery olive oil and fresh vegetables.

I loved it when the Mediterranean Diet was named the #1 diet for 2019 because I’ve had the Mediterranean Cookbook for years and have made so many recipes from it. I love it more that this White Bean Soup is considered healthy and low in calories. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan

I don’t like diets so the Mediterranean Cookbook has been and is my go to when I feel I haven’t been eating as well as I should. It is so healthy and has so many absolutely delicious recipes like this White Bean Soup, but I don’t feel I’m missing out on anything or starving because I’m trying to eat healthier!

White bean soup is creamy but has no cream, you puree a couple of cups of the beans and add it back in which makes it luscious, and we know how good beans are for you. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Easy and Comforting – Greek White Bean Soup

Print Recipe

CourseMain Course, Soup

CuisineItalian

Servings Servings

Ingredients

1 Pound dried Great Northern Beans
2 Tbsps Extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 Onion, chopped
2 1/2 tsps minced fresh oregano or 3/4 tsp dried
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, plus as needed
4 celery ribs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground dried Aleppo pepper You can substitute with 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp paprika
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Instructions

Soak the beans in 4 quarts water and 3 tablespoons salt for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, salt and pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned. Stir in oregano and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, celery and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until beans are tender, about 60 minutes.
Process 2 cups soup in blender or processor until smooth and return to pot. Heat soup gently over low heat until hot and adjust consistently with broth as needed. Stir in lemon juice, red pepper flakes, parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls drizzling with olive oil.

Notes

If you can find Cannellini beans they are preferred. I could not at my local store, so I made the soup with Great Northern Beans.

Chocolate Mousse Pie

January 9, 2019 by Becky Spoon

This is the best chocolate pie ever! It’s light and delicious!

Allen only likes a couple of desserts.. his favorite being cherry pie. In addition, he loves a chocolate Mousse Pie! So I made this for him. It’s just one of those desserts that every bite makes you look at what’s left wishing you had gotten a bigger slice 😂.

The crust is from Oreos. Enough said. Just look how luscious this looks!!

This pie will become one of your all time go to’s!!

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Print Recipe

CourseDessert

CuisineAmerican

Ingredients

For the Crust

21 Oreos, the whole cookie with the center
1/4 cup unsaltee butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

For the Mouse

12 ounces semisweet chocolate or milk chocolate, finely chopped I used Milk Chocolate
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
3 3/4 cup chilled whipping creM
1/4 cup sugar
chocolate shavings, optional

Instructions

For the Crust

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Finely grind cookies in processor. Add butter and process until mixture is evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan to form thin crust. Bake crust 5 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool completely.

For the Mousse

Combine chocolate, vanilla and salt in processor. Bring 1 cup cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. With processor running, gradually pour hot cream through feed tube and process until chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Beat 2 cups cream and sugar in large bowl to stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour mousse into prepared crust. Chill until set, about 6 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
Beat remaining 3/4 cup cream in medium bowl to firm peaks. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe rosettes of cream around edge of cake. Garnish with chocolate shavings.