Beans and Greens with Sausage

This summer has been the summer of greens and beans, separately and together. I've picked up a bunch of rainbow chard or Swiss chard just about every week at the Tuesday Downtown Farmers' Market, and I've most often been tossing it into a pot of lentils and cooking it down to something between a lentil mash and lentil soup. Season it with a generous squeeze of sriracha and finish it with a splash of vinegar and lemon juice, and you have a fantastic dish.

Another favorite has been kale.

More often than not, in this house, kale ends its days as salty, crunchy kale chips, though I also enjoy a really simple preparation braising it in olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. I'd heard people for years rhapsodizing over Tuscan white beans, escarole and sausage, and I thought I could make something similar using kale and a Portuguese spicy sausage like chouriço or linguiça. It's a lot like the Portuguese soup Caldo Verde, though minus the potatoes and not as brothy. The beans break down and release some of the starchiness into the broth, thickening it into a spice-speckled sauce, just begging to be sopped up with a crusty Portuguese roll.

Beans and Greens with Sausage

Ingedients:

• olive oil
• 1 lb. chouriço
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup roasted red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 large bunch of kale, washed and leaves ripped from the central rib (about 4 cups)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 t cumin
• 1/2 t smoked paprika
• 1/2 t granulated garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Slice the chouriço into 1/2 in. rounds, and then cut those into fourths. Saute them in olive oil over medium-high heat until browned, then add the chopped onion and cook until the onion is soft.
2. Toss in the roasted red bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes, then add the drained beans and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of the cumin and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika and then toss the kale leaves on top and cover it tightly and let steam for 5 minutes. 
4. Stir to mix everything well and add 1 cup of the chicken broth and cover tightly and let cook until the kale is well wilted, and the beans are starting to break down and become creamy.
5. Uncover, add the wine vinegar, granulated garlic, the rest of the cumin and salt and pepper to taste and more broth. Stir well and let cook uncovered another 5 minutes, then mash down some of the beans with the back of your wooden spoon or spatula and serve.

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Minted Fava Bean Puree

Fava beans are tricky. Not only do fresh favas need some extra-special care in getting them to the point of edibility - who knew there could be so many layers to a bean - there is also the Hannibal-Lecter factor to consider.

Here you go, get it out of your system:

But fava beans, also known as English beans, broad beans and pigeon beans, are wonderfully creamy with a slighty nutty flavor. They have a firm bite to them when parboiled just right, and yield an amazing buttery texture when made into a puree. Like most legumes, they pack a powerful punch loaded with fiber, and these babies also carry along a goodly amount of iron.

Pick up a couple pounds at your farmers' market, then roll up your sleeves and get ready. First, you need to string the beans and shuck them.  Next, parboil them and then you can remove the waxy coating from the outside. Once you've done that, you get to the center where a creamy, pale green nugget awaits. Trust me, it's worth the wait. Or, for the faint of heart, you could buy them already shucked and shelled in the refrigerated section of the grocery department, but that'll cost you more. If you're not as enamored of the zen-like process of food prep and getting your mise en place  en place as I am, I'd suggest you take the hit to your wallet and opt for the pre-shelled beans.

Favas work wonderfully in salads, pasta dishes and pair uncommonly well with an assertive cheese like pecorino. I'm not kidding - shave a piece of pecorino and stick a bean or two on it and chow down. Repeat at will. It's heaven. Mint is another flavor that seems made for fava beans, and I'd suggest you reach for the fresh mint whenever you can. Pureed together, they create a creamy and satisfying puree that makes a fantastic dip or the perfect spread for crostini.

Minted Fava Bean Puree

Ingredients

• 8 oz. fava beans, shelled & cooked
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice of half a lemon, appr. 1 T
• 2 T fresh mint
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Puree the fava beans in a food processor until well chopped.
2. Add the minced garlic, mint leaves and lemon juice and pulse until blended.
3. Drizzle in olive oil and continue processing until you reach the consistency you prefer. 
4. Season to taste with sat and pepper.

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Cappuccino Pudding

I have a few recipes that are what I call my Sandra Lee Specials.

Don't know who she is?

Check it out:

Once you finish laughing, you can go here to check her out for real.

She's infamous for her "Semi-homemade" dishes - to say nothing of her cocktails - using mostly pre-made ingredients, tossing them together and voila:  Semi-homemade fabulousness, sometimes horrifying; sometimes intriguing; sometimes downright mystifying.


I whipped this bad boy up in the spirit of Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade ethos, and ohmygoodness, it's not half-bad! And since I used skim milk and a package of sugar-free instant pudding mix, it's ok for phase 1 of the South Beach diet.

Cappuccino Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1 small (1.34 oz) box of instant vanilla pudding
• 1-1/2 t espresso powder
• 2 cups skim milk

Directions:

1. Mix according to the package instructions, BUT... add the espresso powder when you add the pudding powder.
2. Eat, probably out of the same bowl you made it in.

Notes:

•  If you want to get all fancy-schmancy like I did, you can put it in a martini glass (Cocktail Time, anyone?) and add a chocolate swizzle stick as a high-falutin' garnish. 
• As you can see, mine is melting because it is as HOT AS HELL here.  
• Side note, heat and humidity do not bring out the shining best of my personality.
• But this pseudo-recipe rocks because it's ready in 2 minutes. You just can't beat that.

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Roasted Baby Squash with Basil and Lemon

I think that roasting veggies is the easiest way to add flavor in a hands-off way while you cook them. All that's required is a hot oven, some olive oil and salt and after a half hour to 45 minutes, you've got an easy side dish. I'll roast beets, potatoes, onions, leeks, garlic, asparagus, almost any vegetable. Even the denser winter squashes like butternut squash and pumpkin benefit from a nice roast to deepen their flavors, and it's so easy to do.

Baby summer squashes, in addition to being insanely cute, are incredibly tender and delicious. Fresh basil leaves, when roasted, become crunchy and lend that basil flavor that just screams "Summer!"

Put it all together, and you get a great side dish with minimal prep and fuss.

Roasted Baby Squash with Basil and Lemon

Ingredients:

• Assorted baby squash, pattypan, zucchini, summer squash
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Purple basil leaves
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a roasting pan with foil.
2. Toss the squash and basil leaves with olive oil, salt and pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
3. Pour into the lined pan and roast for 20 minutes.
4. Take them out and shake the pan to flip them over and roast for another 15 minutes.

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Roasted Asparagus Soup

Soup is good food. I like all sorts, from the lighter brothy soups to hearty bean soups, to thick, satisfying chowders. Pureed vegetable soups, though, are among the quickest and easiest to make, and they can be incredibly tasty.

Asparagus is amazing lightly steamed or flash-cooked in a stir-fry. Toss it with olive oil and salt and then roast it, though, and you deepen the flavor immensely. I'll often prepare asparagus and shallots this way and serve that as a veggie side dish.

See how delicious it is?

Sometimes I'll take it step further and combine the roasted asparagus with roasted shallot, add some fresh herbs and puree it with some broth for a criminally easy soup.

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Herbed Cheese Crisp

Serves 2 as a starter or 1 as a main course

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 shallot, peeled and cut in half
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• fresh thyme
• 1 T creamy-style cottage cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toss the asparagus and shallot with olive oil, and hit it with a little salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes, flipping them or shaking the pan t toss them after 10 minutes or so.
3. Let the asparagus and shallot cool for about 10 minutes, and then puree in a blender with the 1/2 cup of the broth.
4. Add some thyme, salt and pepper and cottage cheese and continue to blend until it is the right consistency for you, adding more broth as needed.
5. Mix together the shredded parm, salt and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme and drop it into mounds on a Silpat-covered cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned and starting to crisp up - I didn't let mine cook enough so they were chewy rather than crunchy, but they were still addictive.
7. Top the soup with a crisp, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

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Quick-and-Dirty Guacamole

Raw veggies are a staple snack for me on South Beach phase 1. I usually like some sort of dip as an accompaniment: ranch dressing, hummus and white bean puree are among the top 5. Standing in at number is guacamole. Thank God that according to The South Beach Diet: Good Fats, Good Carbs Guide, avocado is ranked as a good fat, suitable for all phases of the diet.

Avocado is great in a salad with mango and jicama, as a topping for gazpacho, even just sliced and drizzled with cream. Sprinkled with salt and eaten straight out of the shell is also a not-uncommon prep around these parts. My favorite preparation of avocado is in guacamole, whether it's made with a fresh, homemade pico de gallo, cumin, and a shot of tequila or this quick-and-dirty version. When a fast craving for the green stuff hits, it's good to know that I can have guacamole in about 3 minutes - as long as I have an avocado on hand! :)

Quick-and-Dirty Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 T salsa
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 T chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. To cut the avocado: With a large, sharp knife, slice the avocado in half the long way. When the knife hits the pit, rotate the avocado so that you make one long cut all the way around. Twist the 2 halves of the cut avocado as if you're opening a jar. Take your knife and gently whack the pit and twist it off the avocado half.
2. Scrape the avocado in a bowl.
3. Mix with salsa, lime juice and cilantro and serve with bell pepper slices.

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Parmesan-Coated Baked Tilapia

I've mentioned my pizza-love on occasion. I've also mentioned that I'm doing the South Beach diet. The first phase of the diet involves pretty stringent restriction of carbohydrates, not just refined carbs like white sugar and flour, but also fruits, starchy grains like rice and bulgur and vegetables with a high-glycemic index such as carrots, beets and other root vegetables. Basically my favorite foods.

As you can imagine, restricting carbs is pretty difficult at first, but once I get on a roll, I can really get into it. After the three-day hump, I don't crave the carbs as much, and by three-day hump, I mean three solid days of absolutely no carbs whatsoever, not even a trace of sugar. During those three days, I am ravenous, my body seeking quick energy from the carb foods I crave. I even dream about my favorites: bead, potatoes and pizza, oh my God, the pizza.

My last pizza before embarking on South Beach was an especially carb-o-rrific one topped with slices of roasted beets and roasted potato and topped with herbed goat cheese and fresh thyme. It packed a serious carb punch.

Ah, some day, I will make this again.

*wistful sigh*

In the meantime, there are plenty of delicious vegetables and protein sources waiting. Fish is on the Phase 1 South Beach menu. I make a chopped salad using canned tuna and brocoli slaw mix for a filling and satisfying lunch quite often. For dinner, I also like to make a pan-fried fillet of white fish or roasted salmon. One of the easiest ways to cook fish is baked in the oven, because it's fairly hands-off and yields great results every time.

My usual fish recipe uses parmesan , Old Bay and bread crumbs as a coating and a touch of mayo so the breading will stick. To make this South Beach friendly, I just omit the bread crumbs. I use Old Bay, paprika an Creole seasoning pretty interchangeably. The Creole seasoning is really nice with the juice from the lemon slices in this variation - it's bright and the only way I can describe it is to say that it makes my mouth sing.

Parmesan-Crusted Baked Tilapia

Ingredients:

• tilapia fillets - or other white-fleshed fish
• finely grated parmesan
• Creole seasoning
• salt
• pepper
• lemon slices
• chopped parsley
• olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a roasting pan or a cookie sheet with foil. Spray with olive oil cooking spray.
2. Mix together the Creole seasoning and the parmesan in a pie plate.
3. Dredge both sides of the fillets in the cheese and place on the pan. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and hit with another spray of olive oil
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the thickest part of the fillets are opaque and flake easily with a fork.
5. Top with thinly sliced lemon and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

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