Sunday, July 12, 2009

Asian Three-Bean Salad


This is a great summer dish! It's easy to make, it's fairly healthy and there's very little cooking involved.

-1 lb string beans, trimmed and cut
-10 oz shelled edamame
-3 tbsp vegetable oil
-3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
-1/4 apricot preserves
-1 tbsp sugar
-1 tsp freshly grated ginger
-1 tsp salt
-1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

Steam the string beans and edamame in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, so they are crisp-tender, drain off excess water and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, apricot preserves, sugar, ginger and salt until it forms a nice emulsion. Toss with the cooling vegetables. After coating, stir in the black beans. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil


This recipe can easily be doubled for a crowd.

-2 tbsp butter
-1 c orzo pasta
-1 can chicken stock (14.5 oz)
-1 tsp salt (optional - I wouldn't use it if your stock is already salty)
-1 tsp pepper
-1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
-1/4 chopped basil

In a medium saucepan over med-high heat, sautee the uncooked pasta in the butter for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to brown. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Let the pasta cool for a few minutes before adding the cheese and basil. Serve warm!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Amazing birthday present!

My granny MADE this for me! It's a recipe scrapbook, with old family recipes and the stories behind them. And she left room in the back so that I can add things to it, which is awesome because hand-copying all of these index cards has been driving me nuts.

You can see the sticky note she inserted here, with the story behind this recipe