Caramelized Green Beans

Since I waxed poetic about bacon the other day, I thought it seemed fitting to post another bacon recipe.  And nothing says bacon-lover like adding bacon to otherwise healthy green vegetables.  Green beans with bacon is kind of a classic combination, but these green beans take it a step beyond, adding in some sauteed red onion and sweetened soy sauce mixture that really give some great depth to the beans.  I almost always use frozen green beans, but if you want to use fresh green beans in this recipe, just blanch them for a minute before adding them to the onion and garlic and you'll be good to go.

Caramelized Green Beans

Number of Servings: 6
Time to Prepare: 25 minutes

• 1 lb frozen green beans
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• pepper

Rinse green beans under cool water to thaw and set aside to drain.

Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crisp.  Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel.

If you had fatty bacon, drain out some of the drippings, otherwise just leave all the drippings in the pan (you want 2-3 Tbsp of drippings).  

Add onions and garlic to bacon drippings and cook over medium-high heat for a couple minutes, then add green beans and stir-fry for 2-3 minute.  While the beans cook, mix the sugar, soy sauce, and kosher salt in a small bowl, then pour on top of the beans.  Keep stir-frying until the sauce beings to coat the beans. 

Crumble the bacon and stir into the beans.  Season with pepper to taste and keep stir-frying until the beans are cooked through and everything is glazed with the sauce.  Transfer to a serving dish and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Source: slightly adapted from Our Best Bites

Produce Used: Green beans, red onion, garlic

Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

You can wrap just about anything in bacon and I will devour it.  The other day I had bacon-wrapped water chestnuts and about died from the deliciousness.  More things should be wrapped in bacon.  No offense to any vegetarians or vegans out there, but.....BACON.  It just makes life better!  And combined with this delicious homemade teriyaki sauce and the sweet pineapple, it's really hard to beat!  You can use the store bought teriyaki sauce on this, but I really recommend trying the homemade at least once--it is so tasty!  Also, if you're getting your pineapple on, these little skewers are delicious with the lime cilantro pineapple rice recipe I posted a couple days ago.

Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

Number of Servings: 4-5

Time to Prepare: 5 hours

• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp cold water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 lb chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1" or 1 1/2" chunks (you want about 36 pieces of chicken)
• 12 slices of bacon, cut into thirds
• 20 oz can pineapple chunks, drained (I've also used fresh pineapple and it turns out great)

In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, and pepper and whisk together.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened and bubbly.  Remove from heat and allow to cool while you prep the skewers.

Wrap a piece of bacon (1/3 of a slice) around a chunk of chicken and secure with a toothpick, then top with a pineapple chunk.  Place in a sturdy, gallon-size Ziploc bag and continue with remaining skewers until you've used all the bacon and chicken. 

Reserve about 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce and pour the rest over the skewers in the bag.  Seal and let marinate in the fridge for 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place skewers on a rack (I just use a cooling rack) over a rimmed baking sheet and baste with half the reserved teriyaki sauce.  Bake for 10 minutes, turn over, and baste with remaining teriyaki sauce.  Bake another 10 minutes.

Source: slightly adapated from Our Best Bites

Produce Used: Garlic, pineapple

Lime Cilantro Rice with Pineapple

Honestly, it's a little embarrassing how much I love this rice.  The fresh zing of citrus from the limes, the brightness of the cilantro, and the sweetness of the pineapple combine so beautifully.  I have been known to make my entire lunch consist of leftovers of this rice and nothing else.  (It has fruit in it so it's good for me, right?)

Lime Cilantro Rice with Pineapple

Number of Servings: 4-6
Time to Prepare: 25 minutes

• 1 cup (uncooked) rice
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp butter
• juice from 2 small limes (about 4 Tbsp)
• 16 oz crushed pineapple, drained (I usually just do about 3/4 of a 20 oz can)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• salt
• pepper

Place rice and water in a rice cooker or saucepan and cook until the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Place butter on top of rice and put the lid back on to let the butter melt.  When ready to serve, stir lime juice, pineapple, and cilantro into the rice.  Salt and pepper to taste, then serve immediately.

Source: Our Best Bites

Produce Used: Lime, cilantro, pineapple

Quick and Easy BBQ Bacon Pizza

This is no wood-fired, artisan masterpiece but it is tasty and it is also just about the easiest dinner ever.  We had BLTs the other day and since I knew I was planning to make this pizza, I just cooked up the full package of bacon and reserved some for the pizza.  With the bacon already cooked and waiting for me in the fridge, this was doubly easy.  And obviously you can switch up the toppings however you like.  Cheater pizza?  Probably.  Preserved sanity on a hectic day?  Definitely.

Quick and Easy BBQ Bacon Pizza

Number of Servings: 6
Time to Prepare: 25 minutes

• 1 tube crescent rolls
• 3-4 Tbsp barbecue sauce
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• kosher salt (optional)
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan.  Lay the crescent rolls out flat and place into the pan.  Press to seal the perforations and to reach the edges of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes (it should not be completely cooked, just slightly golden).

Spread barbecue sauce over the crust.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Spread red onion, tomato, and bacon evenly over the cheese.  Sprinkle with a pinch or two of kosher salt (I like it to give the tomatoes a little oomph, but maybe that's just me).  Bake an additional 7 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with cilantro.

Source: Myself
Produce Used: Red onion, tomato, cilantro

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Can I tell you how much I love salmon?  It is one of the most perfect foods in the world.  Unfortunately, we don't get to eat it often, what with it costing significantly more than things like chicken or pasta.  That means when we do occasionally splurge on such a delight, I want to make sure the recipe I use it in is worthy of such a treat.  I don't want to waste my precious salmon!  This recipe definitely fits the bill.  I do tend to be a balsamic lover so that may have something to do with it, but this glaze is just heavenly and is a great compliment to the salmon.

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Number of Servings: 6
Time to Prepare: 30 minutes

• 6 (approx 5 oz) salmon fillets
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp white wine
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic; cook and stir until soft, about 3 minutes. Mix in white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.  (It will smell really strongly of vinegar when you are making the glaze....don't worry, the flavor won't be as overpowering as you think.)

Arrange salmon fillets on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush fillets with balsamic glaze to coat and reserve the remaining glaze. Sprinkle with oregano.

Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush fillets with remaining glaze, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to transfer fillets to serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the foil.

Source: All Recipes
Produce Used: Garlic

French Onion Pasta

This dish is a different kind of pasta than you've probably ever had before.  I know it was for me the first time I tried it, but as soon as I saw the recipe for this I wondered why this isn't being done more.  It is delicious!  Such a fun twist on the idea of french onion soup and it is pretty quick and easy.  Plus it is super versatile.  I change up what kind of pasta I use, I switch out the shallots for red onion, I throw in some chicken or some steamed asparagus....the possibilities are endless.  Make it your own!

French Onion Pasta

Number of Servings: 3 to 4
Time to Prepare: 35 minutes

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 1/2 pound pasta (I usually use penne or rotini)
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and stir continually until soft and fragrant.  Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.

Add the marsala wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck on pieces of garlic/shallot.
Add the stock and soup mix packets, and boil lightly for about 20 minutes (the sauce will reduce a lot during that time).  Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Whisk flour into half and half.  Pour into sauce, stirring continually until well incorporated and thickened.  Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to coat.

Pour into a 2 quart, oven safe dish. Top with the mozzarella cheese and set it under the broiler until the cheese begins to get browned.

Source: adapted from Stephanie Cooks
Produce Used: Shallot, garlic, mushroom

Raspberry Custard Puff Pancake

The soft, custardy texture of this puff pancake is a bit unexpected...it is really smooth and creamy with just a hint of sweetness, and it won me over pretty much immediately.  My husband didn't love it the first time we had it.  He is weird about texture...it took me about a year to teach him to like flan, which of course he loves now, but it only took try number two to get him singing a different tune on this baby.  I took this picture right out of the oven so it hasn't fallen yet (and I haven't put on the powdered sugar yet), but don't worry when yours falls--that is normal.  I would love to pretend that I make this (or anything that takes longer than 5 minutes) for breakfast, but mostly we eat it as breakfast-for-dinner.  The baking time is a little long, but the prep could not be easier.  Serve it up with some eggs and bacon, or just with some fruit if you're feeling lazy (I was) and you've got a winning breakfast/dinner.

Raspberry Custard Puff Pancake

Number of Servings: 6
Time to Prepare: 50 minutes

• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 Tbsp additional granulated sugar
• powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heavily grease a 9" round baking dish.

Combine milk, eggs, flour, 2 Tablespoons sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla in a blender and blend on low for about 10 seconds or until smooth.

Pour into prepared dish, then scatter the raspberries across the top, and sprinkle with the 1 Tablespoon of sugar.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the edges are very puffy, the top is golden-brown, and the center is set (it will still be somewhat jiggly, but should not be liquidy).

Let cool for a few minutes, dust with powdered sugar, and serve. (It is really not overly sweet so feel free to be generous with the powdered sugar.)

Source: slightly adapted from Everyday Reading
Produce Used: Raspberries