Tangy Honey-Mustard Green Beans

My fiance and I have been doing a lot of experiments with making our own dressings. I've always been picky about buying all natural salad dressings from the store, but it's a fun challenge to make up your own. This honey-mustard dressing took a number of attempts, but I like the final product. It's got a lot of zing! You can tone it down by just adding less to your green beans, or you can sweeten it up with some extra honey.

The green beans and tomatoes at farmers markets are perfect right now! There was no better combo to put my new honey-mustard dressing on.


Tangy Honey-Mustard Green Beans

4 cups green beans, blanched
1/2 cup leeks, sliced thinly
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons fresh dill
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon rice vinegar (or any other white vinegar)
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons olive oil

Blanch the green beans by cooking them in boiling water for three minutes then rinsing them in cold water. When you add the green beans to the pot of water, do not wait for the water to start boiling again, start the timer right away.

While you are waiting for the water to boil, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Saute the leeks until they are soft, add the tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the fresh dill. Cook until the tomatoes are just coming out of their skins.

For the dressing whisk together the rice vinegar, mustard powder, honey, salt, and olive oil. Taste and tweak as you see fit. Remember it will not taste as strong when it's spread out over the green beans.

Mix the sauteed veggies, the green beans, and the dress. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of fresh dill onto the dish and enjoy!


Serves 4
125 Calories, 9g fat, 5g dietary fiber, 3g sugar, 3g protein

Balsamic Broccoli Rabe with Carrots

When I was in college, my friends and I would host a lot of pot luck parties. For every party, guests would bring desserts or appetizers, so as a responsible host, I started making vegetable dishes for each of the pot lucks. I wanted to make sure my friends were getting a balanced meal. Now veggie dishes are some of my favorite things to make. Vegetables can be very versatile and delicious.

In this picture I used regular broccoli, I was all out or broccoli rabe.

This is a recipe I came up with recently. I am a big fan of broccoli rabe and am always looking for ways to use it. You can definitely make this recipe with any type of broccoli, but I like the broccoli rabe best. The strong flavor does not get over powered by the balsamic. For this recipe you can also dial up or down the amount of garlic and balsamic vinegar to your taste. If you want to add this dish to pasta, add a little more oil and vinegar.

12 oz broccoli rabe
3 oz carrots, julienned
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Blanch the broccoli rabe in the boiling water by putting it in for 2 to 3 minutes. Start the timer as soon as the broccoli rabe is in, the water does not have to return to a boil. When the time is up, drain the broccoli rabe and cut it into sections. I keep the hot water for pasta or rice if I am cooking either of them as well. It has nutrients that have leaked out of the broccoli rabe.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil to medium high in a small pan. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or until it begins to smell good. Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir frequently and saute until the carrots are a desired softness. Pour the carrots over the broccoli rabe and serve. This can be served hot, room temperate, or cold and tastes great the next day, too!




Serves 3
102 Calories, 9g fat, 3g dietary fiber, 3g sugar, 5g protein