Creamy Green Beans

This is another recipe that I've been playing with since the winter, when the craving for something creamy came upon me.  Creamy foods are somehow inherently warm and comforting when it's below freezing outside.  But how can food be made creamy when you can't use cream, sour cream, or cream cheese?  Well, in the case of green beans, I discovered that you can make a creamy dressing by using mayonnaise.  I came up with two different flavors that I use depending on the rest of the food I'm cooking for dinner.  And even though I first thought of the recipe in the winter, it's great year-round when that craving for something creamy hits.  The dressing also tastes great with steamed asparagus.  I use 1 lb. of asparagus, which ends up being about 3/4 lb. once you snap off the ends.

Creamy Green Beans
serves 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 young children

Ingredients for Curried Creamy Green Beans:

• 3/4 lb. green beans (When green beans aren't in season, I like to buy Trader Joe's frozen French green beans.)
• 2 Tbsp. Hellmann's Real mayonnaise (not low-fat)
• 1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper 

Ingredients for French Creamy Green Beans:

• 3/4 lb. green beans (When green beans aren't in season, I like to buy Trader Joe's frozen French green beans.)
• 2 Tbsp. Hellmann's Real mayonnaise (not low-fat)
• 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper

Ingredients for Sriracha Creamy Green Beans:

• 3/4 lb. green beans (When green beans aren't in season, I like to buy Trader Joe's frozen French green beans.)
• 2 Tbsp. Hellmann's Real mayonnaise (not low-fat)
• 1/2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. Sriracha hot chili sauce
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:

Cook the green beans until tender-crisp.  While the green beans are cooking, whisk together the rest of the ingredients.  When the green beans are done, drain them thoroughly.  (If they are too wet, it dilutes the dressing and the dressing doesn't adhere to the beans as well.)  Return the green beans to the pot they were cooked in or a warmed serving bowl.  Pour the dressing over them and toss so that all of the beans are coated with the dressing.  Serve immediately.  

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I meant to post this recipe in December, but December was more than a little busy. It was a month when I needed easy recipes that would taste good and feed my family, without taking much time to prepare. Since it was getting colder outside, I was also craving foods that are cooked in the oven. Roasted sweet potatoes fit the bill. I started with a Cook's Illustrated recipe from Fall Entertaining 2011, but I tweaked the cooking method so that the sweet potatoes would turn a nice roasted brown color. I would have a picture for you, but my camera died at the beginning of December. So instead, you can look at pictures on this recipe of similar roasted sweet potatoes. I have not yet tried their recommendation of topping the sweet potatoes with pecans, goat cheese, and celery, but it looks quite tasty.

You can double this recipe and the sweet potato rounds will all still fit on one baking sheet. If you like a bit more kick to your sweet potatoes, you could try sprinkling some spices or cayenne pepper onto the potatoes before roasting.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
serves 2 adults and 2 small children, or about 3 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. sweet potatoes (about 3 medium or 2 large)
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Instructions:

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch rounds. (If in doubt, err on the thicker side for the rounds. If they are less than 1 inch thick, they get too cooked and mushy inside.) Transfer the sweet potato rounds to a medium bowl. Toss them with the canola oil and sea salt. Place the rounds in one layer on a baking sheet. **If your baking sheet is not non-stick, you might want to coat it lightly with 1 tablespoon of canola oil.

Then put the sheet in an unheated oven on the lower-middle rack. Turn the heat to 425 degrees and set the timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, if the bottom of the rounds are not quite browned enough for your taste, put them back in for 5 more minutes. Then flip the rounds over and return the baking sheet to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and let the sweet potato rounds sit on the sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a dish and serve immediately.

Green Beans Almandine

One of the vegetable dishes I remember enjoying as a kid is green beans almandine. This November I decided that I wanted to learn how to make it myself. Toasting almonds couldn't be that hard, right? The only other question was whether the girls could eat almonds without having an allergic reaction. They hadn't reacted to almond milk or almond flour, so they probably would be just fine eating toasted blanched almonds. But you never know. We took the plunge and had them try the almonds. As I had hoped, the girls were fine and didn't react at all. Hooray! Now if I can only get my act together and take them to the allergist for further testing, maybe we can try pecans this coming year.

If you make this dish for us, please get blanched almonds. I haven't tried giving the girls almonds with the skins still on and don't know if they would react to the almond skins or not.

Green Beans Almandine
serves 3 to 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. green beans
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. blanched almonds
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:

Steam the green beans until they are tender-crisp. While the green beans are steaming, heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and stir constantly, tossing the almonds, until they are fragrant and have browned. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the salt and pepper. When the green beans are done, toss them in the pan with the almonds and oil. Serve immediately.

Roasted Carrots with Lemon or Orange Glaze

This recipe is perfect for the nights when I don't have any other vegetable in the house besides a bag of baby carrots. As long as I have a lemon or an orange on hand, I can make these roasted carrots, and the girls and Michael are sure to like them. I got the idea from a recipe I found for roasted carrots with lemon dressing. The original recipe uses lemon zest and juice, but I discovered that the carrots taste just as good with orange zest and juice, so I make whichever will taste better with the rest of the dinner.

Roasted Carrots with Lemon or Orange Glaze
serves 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. baby carrots (1 small bag)
  
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 tsp. honey (or 3 tsp. if you prefer it a bit sweeter)
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (OR orange juice from a naval orange)
• zest from 1/2 lemon (OR 1 tsp. orange zest)

Instructions:

Take the baby carrots out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the carrots and dry them with a towel. If any of the carrots are thicker than your pinkie finger, cut them in half. Transfer the carrots to a medium-size bowl and pour the olive oil over them. Toss them with the olive oil and spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil and put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake until the carrots are browned and tender, stirring them every 10 minutes. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes.

If you are pressed for time, move the tray to the upper-middle rack position and increase the temperature to 450 degrees. Then it should take less time, but check the carrots more frequently to avoid having some get charred. The other trick for reducing the preparation time is, while the oven is preheating, to microwave the oil-covered carrots until they are tender. Then roast the carrots uncovered on the upper-middle oven rack.

While the carrots are roasting, zest the lemon or orange. Squeeze the juice of the lemon or orange through a strainer and into a cup. In a small bowl whisk together the zest, 2 tablespoons juice, salt, and honey. Set the glaze aside until the carrots are ready.

When the carrots are done, transfer them to a serving bowl. Pour the glaze over the carrots, toss to coat, and serve.

Roasted Carrots with Cumin Seeds

For the past few Easters we've gotten together with friends for an Indian-themed Easter pot-luck. This year I made tomato chicken curry and roasted carrots with cumin seeds as my contribution. The roasted carrots are quite easy and a nice complement to Indian food. I based the ingredients on this Bon Appetit recipe, but I looked to Cook's Illustrated for how to cook them. For my first batch I followed the Cook's Illustrated instructions, which involves covering the carrots with aluminum foil for the first 15 minutes in the oven and then roasting them after that. Since I was running out of time to make the second batch, I decided to try a short cut and pre-cook the carrots in the microwave before roasting them in the oven. Fortunately, that way turned out just as well.

Roasted Carrots with Cumin Seeds
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. baby carrots (1 small bag)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt

Instructions:

Take the baby carrots out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the carrots and dry them with a towel. If any of the carrots are thicker than your pinkie finger, cut them in half. Transfer the carrots to a medium-size bowl and pour the olive oil over them. Toss them with the olive oil and then sprinkle on the cumin seeds and black pepper. Toss the carrots again and spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil and put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake until the carrots are browned and tender, stirring them every 10 minutes. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes.

If you are pressed for time, move the tray to the upper-middle rack position and increase the temperature to 450. Then it should take less time, but check the carrots more frequently to avoid having some get charred. The other trick for reducing the preparation time is, while the oven is preheating, to microwave the oil-covered carrots until they are tender. Then stir in the cumin seeds and black pepper and roast the carrots uncovered on the upper-middle oven rack.

When the carrots are done, transfer them to a serving bowl, sprinkle on the salt, and gently toss. Serve immediately.

Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

It's been a while since Thanksgiving, but my excuse for not posting until just recently is that the past couple of weeks have been really busy. The busiest part was that I had to write the final 10-page paper for my literature class. I turned the paper in on Tuesday evening, but then I needed to catch up on all of the other things that I had been putting off, like doing the laundry and vacuuming.

Now that the laundry is done and the house is a bit cleaner, I'm finding the time to get back to posting some of the recipes that I've been wanting to share. One of these is for lemon-garlic green beans. We had these green beans at Thanksgiving, which we celebrated with my family. I really liked how the lemon and garlic flavor of the green beans contrasted with the flavors of the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. The recipe came from the December issue of Southern Living magazine, and here is the link to the original recipe. Below is my modified recipe. The primary change is that we like the beans with a bit more lemon flavor, so I add more lemon juice and zest. If you don't have fresh basil, the beans are just as good without it.

Lemon-Garlic Green Beans
serves 6 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. fresh haricots verts or green beans
• 2 tsp. sea salt, divided
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 3 shallots OR 1 small yellow onion
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions:

Put a medium pot of water on the stove over high heat to bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the sea salt to the water. While the water is heating, trim the ends off of the haricots verts or green beans. Finely chop or thinly slice the shallots or onion, depending on your preference, and set aside. Chop the basil and set it aside as well.

When the water has come to a boil, add the green beans to the pot and let them cook 4 to 5 minutes, until they are tender-crisp. When they are done, remove the beans from the water. If you are serving the beans later in the day, immerse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. If you are serving the beans immediately, just drain them.

While the beans are cooking, place a medium pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and let the oil heat up. When the oil is hot, add the onion to the pan and saute until the onion has softened. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat. Then add the chopped basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Stir all of the ingredients together. Add the green beans to the pan and toss them in the onion mixture to coat them thoroughly. Serve immediately; or if you are serving the beans later in the day, place them in a bowl in the refrigerator and reheat them later in the medium pan on the stove.

Cooked Green Cabbage

I know it must seem like we eat a lot of cabbage. I guess we do, if you consider about once a week a lot. My reason for eating cabbage regularly, besides the fact that it's good for you, is that Naomi likes it. Naomi is our pickier eater, but she'll eat cabbage in whatever form I make it. This time I had a green cabbage, so I used white wine vinegar and lemon juice to add some flavor. I tried to take a picture of the cabbage, but it didn't turn out all that well, I think because I haven't yet adjusted my picture-taking to the fading light at dinnertime. I guess summer really is almost over when we have to turn the lights on to eat dinner at 6 pm.

Cooked Green Cabbage
serves 3 adults

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a small yellow onion, chopped, OR the white parts of 4 to 6 green onions, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 pound of green cabbage, shredded (about half of a head of cabbage)
  
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp. dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped)
• 2 Tbsp. water

Instructions:

If you are using a yellow onion, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Saute the onion until it has softened. While the onion is cooking, shred the cabbage. When the onion is tender, add the other tablespoon of oil, the shredded cabbage, vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt, sugar, and parsley. Toss so that the cabbage is coated completely with the oil, vinegar, and other ingredients. Then add the water and stir.

If you are using green onions instead of a yellow onion, heat the two tablespoons of oil at the beginning and then add the green onion with the rest of the ingredients when the oil is hot.

After you have stirred the ingredients together, cover the pan with a lid and let the cabbage cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has achieved the texture you prefer.

Broccoli (or Leafy Salad) with Basil Vinaigrette

Our basil plant has been getting quite large, so I've been looking for more ways to use basil. I stumbled upon the following recipe for basil vinaigrette, and it was so good that I want to remember it next year when we buy another basil plant. I've used the dressing on broccoli and on a leafy salad, and the flavors of the dressing have gone well with both. I bet the dressing would taste great on asparagus, too. When I'm cooking for just the four of us, I usually cut the recipe in half.

Basil Vinaigrette
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 shallot, chopped, or 2 Tbsp. finely chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped basil leaves
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

See the recipe link for the instructions.

Indian-spiced Cabbage

Whenever I went to an Indian restaurant or ate Indian food at home, I used to wish for more vegetables or an obvious vegetable dish to go with the main course. Now, thanks to my friend Tiffany from church, I know what to make: Indian-spiced cabbage. For the past several years a group of us has gotten together to have Indian food for our Easter dinner. One year Tiffany made this Indian cabbage, and I liked it so much that I asked her for the recipe. I have modified it a bit so that it's easier to make with the ingredients I usually have on hand, but the flavor is pretty much the same. My version is inspired also by a "hot" Indian coleslaw recipe and a cabbage and carrot stir-fry recipe.

Indian-spiced Cabbage
serves 2 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
  
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. granulated white sugar
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 4 cups of shredded green cabbage (about 1/2 of a small, 2 lb. head of cabbage)
  
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best, but bottled will do)
  

Instructions:

Heat 1 Tbsp. of canola oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Finely chop the onion and then saute until tender. While the onion is cooking, chop the cabbage. Measure out the coriander, curry powder, salt, sugar, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

When the onion is soft, add the cumin seeds and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. Then add the other 1 Tbsp. of canola oil and pour in the rest of the spices from the small bowl. Stir constantly for about 1 minute. Add the shredded cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage has softened to the texture that you prefer. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Creamed Spinach

This picture is a bit of a teaser because I'm going to give you the recipe for only one of the foods that you see on the plate. I'm still working on the recipe for the chicken and the oven-roasted potatoes, but eventually I'll post those on the blog as well.

Last week, when I was finishing my paper instead of going to the grocery store, I ran out of vegetables in the house, except for the packages of frozen chopped spinach that I try to keep stocked in the freezer. I think frozen spinach might be the perfect back-up vegetable. This time I used it to make creamed spinach, which I like to make when I don't have much time to cook, since it only takes about 15 minutes. In addition, Michael and the girls really like it. At some point, when the girls get a bit bigger and eat more, I'll probably have to start doubling the recipe so that we all can have as much as we'd like. Right before serving I like to drizzle a little fresh lemon juice over my serving of creamed spinach, but Michael likes the way it tastes best without any lemon flavor.

Creamed Spinach
serves 2 adults (and 2 small children, if the adults are willing to share)

Ingredients:

• 1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach
  
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour
• 1/2 cup Lactaid milk
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• lemon juice, if preferred

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium-size pan. Chop the onions, add them to the pan, and saute until softened. While the onions are sauteing, defrost the spinach in the microwave. Drain the excess liquid from the spinach by placing it in a colander over the sink and pressing down on the spinach with your hands.

When the onions are soft, add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add the flour and stir until fully absorbed. Add the milk, stir, and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Turn down the heat to low or medium-low, and whisk in the salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Add the spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach is hot.

Lemony Green Beans

You can probably tell that I'm on a lemon kick. My latest use of lemon is in this recipe for lemony green beans. I especially like the addition of chopped green onions to the basic lemon juice and olive oil dressing.

Lemony Green Beans
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 pound green beans, ends cut off
  
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 3 or 4 green onions, chopped
  

Instructions:

Pour 1/2 cup water into a medium-size pot and heat over high heat until boiling. While the water is heating, rinse the beans and cut off the ends. When the water has come to a boil, add the beans to the pot, turn down the heat to medium or medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, and cook the beans until they are tender-crisp.

While the beans are cooking, mix together the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. When the beans are done cooking, drain them and then return them to the pot. Pour the rest of the ingredients from the small bowl into the pot and toss the beans so that they are evenly coated. Keep the beans in the pot until you are ready to serve them so that they stay warm.

Sauteed Lemon Broccoli

I have to confess that I don't like plain steamed broccoli. I prefer some other flavor to go with the broccoli. A couple of years ago I tended to cover the broccoli with either butter or cheese, but since we're trying to limit our consumption of dairy products I've needed to come up with alternatives.

I started looking at recipes on the internet and stumbled across this one for sauteed lemon broccoli. Since I had some lemons in the refrigerator, I thought I would try it, and I'm so glad I did. The recipe was quite easy and the resulting broccoli was great. The lemon flavor complements the broccoli so well. I really like the taste of lemon, so I doubled the amount of lemon zest and juice called for in the original recipe. Since I didn't have any fresh garlic at home, I left out the garlic and the broccoli still tasted great.

Sauteed Lemon Broccoli
serves 2 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 broccoli crowns. When the stems are cut off, this becomes about 3 cups of florets or about 1/2 pound.
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
  

Instructions:

Fill a large pot two-thirds full with water and bring the water to a boil over high heat. While the water is heating, wash the broccoli and cut the florets into bite-size pieces. When the water has come to a boil, transfer the broccoli florets to the pot and set the timer for 2 minutes. After exactly 2 minutes, remove the florets from the pot and submerge them in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Then drain the water from the broccoli and put the broccoli in a bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until a few minutes before you would like to serve the broccoli.

About ten minutes before you would like to serve the broccoli, place a large frying pan over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil, lemon zest, and broccoli. If you would like to use garlic, add it at this time as well. Cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is hot. When the broccoli is hot, add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.

Baked Creamed Spinach

Ever since Laurie made a delicious creamed spinach dish for our small group a few weeks ago, I've been wanting to have creamed spinach again. Since I often am cooking something in the oven, I thought I would experiment with a recipe for baked creamed spinach. It's not exactly the same as creamed spinach cooked on the stove, but it's still very tasty.

The recipe below makes enough for just two adults, but if you would like to make enough for a crowd, then go to the link to the original recipe.

Baked Creamed Spinach
serves 2 adults

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour
• 1/3 tsp. sea salt
• dash of ground black pepper
• dash of nutmeg
• dash of paprika
• 1/2 cup Lactaid milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Immediately pour 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil in a small 15-ounce baking dish (about half the size of an 8"x8" pan), and put the dish in the oven while the oven heats.

Heat a 10-inch, medium size frying pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Dice the onion and saute until softened. While the onion is sauteing, defrost the spinach in the microwave. Place the defrosted spinach in a colander with small holes and press on the spinach to get rid of the excess water.

When the onion is soft, add the flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and paprika to the onion and stir until combined. Then slowly more in the milk and stir constantly until the sauce has thickened. Whisk the egg in a separate bowl and then slowly pour the egg into the sauce, whisking the sauce very quickly so that the egg does not form lumps. (You might want to take the pan off of the heat for this step to help prevent lumps from forming.) When the sauce has thickened, add the spinach and stir until combined.

Take the baking dish out of the oven and transfer the spinach mixture to the dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. If you double the recipe, use an 8"x 8" baking pan and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

Asparagus with Mustard Sauce

If you couldn't tell, I've been on an asparagus kick recently. Michael really likes asparagus and could eat it weekly, but I tend not to buy it very often because of the price. However, both of the grocery stores I went to this week had asparagus on sale for about $1.80/pound. I was so excited that I bought a couple bunches on impulse. Wow, this is one of those moments when I suddenly feel old: I'm getting excited about the price of a vegetable?!

Anyway, we had asparagus several times this week, and tonight I decided to try a new mustard sauce to go over it. All four of us enjoyed the sauce. It made me feel like I was eating at a fancy restaurant. It's like a Hollandaise sauce, but without the raw egg yolk and with a punch of Dijon mustard instead. If your grocery stores also have asparagus on sale right now, I highly recommend buying some and trying it with this creamy mustard sauce.

Mustard Sauce
makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp. plain Greek-style yogurt. Try to find one without any additives. Greek-style yogurt has even less lactose than regular American yogurt, so a small amount of it doesn't seem to bother the girls' stomachs.
• 1/3 tsp. dried tarragon
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt; more as needed to taste
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• pinch of ground black pepper, to taste
  
• pinch of sugar, to taste

Instructions:

Mix together the vinegar, Dijon mustard, yogurt, tarragon and 1/8 tsp. sea salt. Slowly whisk in the olive oil so that it emulsifies with the other ingredients. Then add a pinch of black pepper and sugar. Taste to see if the dressing needs any more salt or sugar, based on your preference.

Spinach and Asparagus

Spinach

In the winter I crave warm vegetables. Tonight I wanted to make something with the spinach in my refrigerator, but I didn't want to go to the effort of making creamed spinach. I did a quick search and found this recipe for spinach sauteed in olive oil and garlic. It's so simple: a bag of fresh spinach, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and a clove or two of garlic, sauteed over medium-high heat for just a couple of minutes. Yet it was so delicious, especially with the roast chicken and root vegetables that we ate with it. This other sauteed spinach recipe is very similar, except it suggests garnishing the sauteed spinach with a squeeze of lemon juice and some pine nuts. Perhaps I'll add those next time.

Asparagus with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

I was running behind on dinner tonight and the girls were hungry, so I gave them some leftovers, including steamed asparagus. Neither of them is fond of plain asparagus. They make that very clear. However, everything changes if I make what I refer to as a "special sauce" to go on the asparagus. I drizzle some olive oil and apple cider vinegar over their asparagus and sprinkle on a dash of salt, and the girls' reaction is amazing. They gobble down every last piece in their bowls. Praise God for apple cider vinegar and "special sauce!"

Cooked Red Cabbage

Cooked red cabbage. I don't think I would have gotten near the stuff before living in Germany for a year and forcing myself to try it so that I wouldn't offend my host family. Surprisingly, considering what a picky eater I was, I actually liked it. And then, somehow, in the midst of four years of eating at college dining halls, I forgot about it entirely.

I don't know why I suddenly started thinking about cooked red cabbage again, but this month I decided to try to recreate what I remembered liking 15 years ago. Although I made a couple of red cabbage recipes in January, tonight was the first time that I offered the cabbage to the girls. Sabrina liked it, but that isn't too surprising. What shocked me a bit was that Naomi liked it, too. She was quite hesitant before the first bite -- I'll admit that it's kind of weird-looking and purple -- but after that first bite, she kept eating! And Michael liked it enough to go back for seconds. I was so elated that I felt like the four of us should suddenly have started singing something from "The Sound of Music." So the moral of the story is, even if you don't think you like cooked red cabbage, you should try it. Perhaps you'll like it. Perhaps you'll like it so much that you'll burst into song, or at least want to go back for more.

Cooked Red Cabbage
most recipes say that this serves 4 as a side dish, but Michael and I could probably eat all of this just between the two of us

Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
  
• 4 cups of shredded red cabbage (which is about 1/2 small red cabbage)
• 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. granulated white sugar
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions:

Heat the canola oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Chop the onion and saute in the frying pan until the onion is soft. While the onion is sauteing, cut half of a red cabbage into thin strips. I recommend going to this webpage for instructions on how first to cut the cabbage in half and then in half again, and to thinly slice one quarter of the cabbage at a time. When the onion has softened, add the caraway seeds, sea salt, pepper, and sugar to the pan, and stir for a minute to combine thoroughly. Add the shredded cabbage and vinegar to the onion mixture and stir for a minute or two until the onion mixture and vinegar have thoroughly coated the cabbage. Then add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and stir briefly. Cover the pan with a lid and let the cabbage cook for five minutes. Then stir and cover again. Cook the cabbage over medium-low heat (or medium heat if you are in a hurry) for 10 to 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage softens to the degree that you prefer.

Asparagus with Red Wine Vinaigrette

When I made this vinaigrette tonight, I wasn't so sure how it was going to turn out. I tasted the vinaigrette by itself, and it seemed quite strong. However, I thought I should still give it a try, so at dinner I drizzled some onto my steamed asparagus. Wow! The flavors of the vinaigrette complemented the flavor of the asparagus so well and gave it an extra complexity. Naomi liked the vinaigrette so much that she asked for more! I didn't take a picture, but I wanted to post the recipe anyway so that I will remember for next time how to make this zingy vinaigrette for my asparagus.

Asparagus with Red Wine Vinaigrette
serves 2 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 grocery-store bundle of asparagus
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• dash of pepper
  
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

Wash the asparagus and snap the ends off. Cut the asparagus into bite-size pieces and then steam until tender.

While the asparagus is steaming, mix together in a small bowl the minced garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper. Then pour the olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, into the bowl while constantly whisking, so that the the vinaigrette emulsifies.

Serve the asparagus on individual plates and let each person drizzle the vinaigrette on their individual serving.