Indian Style Green Beans with Coconut

We LOVE Indian food. The Sitar in downtown Springfield is by far, our favorite restaurant. But.... it can be pricy, especially when we were getting take out 2+ times a month! So we decided to try making our own Indian food. We made Chicken Tikka Masala and these green beans. I'll blog the Tikka Masala at a later date, I promise. The beans would be great as a side dish with anything really. I hope you enjoy it! Serves 4.

Ingredients: 

3 cups green beans (preferably fresh)

1 cup sweetened coconut

1/2 cup finely sliced onion

1/2 tablespoon cumin seed

1/2 tablespoon grated ginger

1/2 tablespoon grated garlic

1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder

1 jalapeno or other green chili

1 tablespoon canola oil

Steam beans until almost done. 

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Saute the cumin seeds, onion, garlic, ginger, and chili over medium heat until onions begin to brown. Add the green beans, stir. Add turmeric and coconut, stir. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is combined.

Greek Quinoa and Avocado

This is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe. As usual, I didn't follow it exactly. I served it with grilled chicken in a pita with tzatziki.  (recipe here)  I didn't use any salt to season the quinoa, as we're on a very low sodium diet these days. But I don't think it really needed the salt anyway. This is so quick and easy. Make the tzatziki, refrigerate. Put the quinoa on. While it cooks, prepare the rest of the salad and grill the chicken (or have hubby grill the chicken!) Then throw the quinoa into the salad, grab the tzatziki and enjoy!

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 large tomato or 2 roma tomatos, roughly chopped
large handful baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs olive oil
1 avocado
feta cheese

Combine quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, chop the tomato and spinach. Add the quinoa once cooked. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Top with chopped avocado and feta cheese.

Black Bean Tostadas with Corn Relish

This is a slightly adapted Martha Stewart recipe. I made then with small corn tortillas, because that's what I had in the fridge, and they're a bit healthier than flour. I will say, the texture of the corn tortilla after baking was a little funky, slightly chewy in the middle, but nice and crispy on the edges. Use whatever you like or have. 

You can use canned black beans, we just prefer to soak our own organic beans because they are sodium free. To do this, soak the beans covered in water overnight. Drain and rinse. Place beans in a sauce pan and cover with plenty of water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking. Drain.  They are now ready to use. 


Makes 5 tostadas - serves 2

1 lime
small bunch of scallions or chives, chopped
2 ears of corn, remove kernels from the cob
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
large handful of cilantro, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped (or 1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes)
about 1 cup black bean
cheddar cheese, shredded
5 small tortillas, corn or flour
1 avocado
sour cream

Preheat oven to 475. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine corn, chives, jalapeno, cilantro, and juice of 1 lime.  Set aside.

Place tortillas on the baking sheet. Divide beans and tomato between the tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges of the tortillas start to crisp and cheese melts.

Divide the corn between the tortillas. Sprinkle with chopped avocado and serve with sour cream.