Grilled Asparagus

I bought a new grill recently...nothing fancy, but the theme of my spring (and now summer is)…."I bet I can grill that."  I've grilled asparagus before, but it's so good, it's worth a repeat.  It's a hearty enough veggie that it's easy to throw down on the grill and roll.

Grilling Asparagus

1.  Wash and trip your asparagus.
2.  Take 2 T of extra virgin olive oil 1 t. of salt per pound of asparagus.
3.  Place the asparagus, oil, and salt in a bag and shake it around until all the asparagus is covered.
4.  Grill for 10 minutes, flipping one time half way through.
If you place it in the center of the grill, it will get pretty roasty, but that's how I like it.

Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

Green beans are an adult flavor I took up, but I think having them 'cooked right' and not from a can probably did the trick. It's funny how your opinion of something can change when you have it served at it's finest.
I love roasted beans any way they can, but I especially loved this version via budgetsavvydiva that has you added Parmesan.  It's the perfect salty cheese.  They are calories worth added, and they reheated really well.

Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

Ingredients:  8 oz green beans, olive oil, salt, pepper, Parmesan Cheese
Instructions:
1.  Heat over to 400.
2.  Toss green beans (trimmed ends) with a small amount of oil, salt, and pepper (enough to cover).
3. Lay green beans on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with a good amount of cheese to top.
4.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until the beans are crisp outside and tender on the inside.

Asparagus

I spent the first 30 years of my life avoiding vegetables.  I'm fine with a few mixed in with a casserole.  I've always been a fan of lettuce....with dressing, but a veggie by itself without a truckload of carbs.  No thanks.  And then....I went to Europe and I wanted to experience every piece of the culture, including the food-which included fresh vegetables cooked right....and I loved them.  All these years-who knew that if you skip the can and catch them fresh-they are good?!?!  I've been trying out all sorts of recipes from that point on....I've got a lot of years and vitamins to make up for!  Here's a recipe I found and liked from a friend of a friend.  Sure, it has butter, but a vitamin is still a vitamin even covered with butter.

Asparagus

PRINT HERE

Ingredients:  1 lb (washed) asparagus, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 teas garlic salt, 1/4 teas. pepper, 2 Table grated Parmesan
Instructions:  Cut off bottom of the asparagus.  Place 1 cup of water and asparagus into a skilled.  Cover and cook on high for 6 minutes.  Move back and forth at 3 minutes to prevent asparagus from cooking unevenly.  Drain the water and add everything but the Parmesan.  Cook until the butter is melted.  Remover and sprinkle with cheese.

The Best Green Bean Casserole EVER!

When I made this, I was thinking I'd wait to post about it closer to Thanksgiving-'the' time for Green Bean Casserole, but this was seriously one of the most delicious recipes I've ever tried out-I had to post it ASAP. Seriously, here is my secret-I don't even like greenbean casserole.  I had one plate of fresh green beans in Italy once-it was the first and last time I ever ate a green bean I liked.  I've tried.  I've tried many.  So, I had family in town and was preparing a big meal, and I decided to make one dish I knew wouldn't tempt me to overeat (ha).  I looked up a recipe for greenbean casseroles to replace the ol' classic with the can of soup.  Oops, I found one I absolutely love.  I had seconds and would have had thirds if I wasn't trying to save some to have for lunch....and maybe a midnight snack-the details are foggy right now.  In fact, everyone who tried it went back for more.  I promise you won't regret this-try it.  As the recipe promised (from all recipes)-you'll never go back to the soup version.
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:  2 T butter, 2 T flour, 1 t. salt, 1 t. white sugar, 1/4 c. onion (diced), 1 c. sour cream, 3 cans French style green beans (drained), 2 c. cheddar cheese, 1/2 c. crumbled ritz crackers (buttery rounds was what they called for-this is what I figured it meant), 1 T. butter melted.
Instructions:
1.  Heat oven to 350.
2.  Melt 2 T butter in skillet on med heat.  Stir in flour until smooth and cook for one minute.  Stir in salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream.  Add green beans and stir to coat.
3.  Move to 2 1/2 qt casserole dish.  Spread shredded cheese over the top.  In a separate bowl toss crackers and remaining butter and sprinkled over the cheese.
4.  Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden and cheese is bubbly.
5.  Eat.  Repeat.

Stuffed Pepper

 If you are picking pepper recipes...pick this one. 

I was hunting down things to force down the vegetables....which usually only happens when I add carbs....enter....exhibit a....and no diets were actually harmed in the making of this newest recipe.  I found it at kalynskitchen and I thought...hey, that doesn't sound half bad....and it wasn't....so if you are looking for a way to shove a green pepper into your diet, might I suggest this stuffed pepper? 

Stuffed Pepper Recipe

Ingredients:  1 c. cooked rice, 4 bell peppers (slice off the top and dice the 'good part' of the green pepper), 2 t. of olive oil, 1 large onion (diced), 2 sweet Italian sausage links, 1/2 t. fennel, 1/2 t. oregano, 1/2 c. Paremsan cheese, 1/4 c. mozerella cheese

Instructions:  Cook 1 c. of rice and set aside.  Slice the top off of four bell peppers and hallow out the seeds/wash.  Spray a pan with cooking oil to later place peppers inside.  Slice up the green pepper from the top and set aside.  Heat 2 t. of oil and saute the pepper you cut from the top, and 1 diced white onion.  Cook until it is soft (not brown).  Pull out and then add 2 links (8 oz total) of sweet italian sausage to your pan and brown.  Add onion back along with 1/2 t.fennel, 1/2t. oregano. Add 1 c. cooked rice, and 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese.  Cook for 1-2 minutes all together.  Stuff into hallowed peppers.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes in a baking dish.  Add 1/4 c. mozerella to the top of the pepper mix and bake an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned. 

Squash Casserole

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c. butter
7 yellow squash, sliced thin
3 c. water
1 can cream of chicken
1 c. squash broth (reserved from pan)
8 oz of cheddar cheese, shredded
1 row of Ritz crackers, crush
1/2 c. butter
Instructions:
Melt butter and onions in a pan, stir for a few minutes until onions begin to soften. Add squash and 3 cups of water. Cook until tender.
Drain squash and onion mix, but set water aside.
Mix squash mix, 1 c. of water reserved from cooking, and 1 can of cream of chicken soup. Place half of mix on the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover with 1/2 of cheese (4 oz). Top with last half of squash mix, and remaining cheese. You can cover this and freeze it at this point until you are ready to bake/eat. When you are ready to bake sprinkle 1 row of crushed Ritz crackers on top, and pour 1/2 c. melted butter on top of crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
*For a vegetarian version-use 1 can of cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken.
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