Green Beans with Almonds, Parsley and GarlicBy foodjoyaGreen Beans with Almonds, parsley, and garlic is an easy, foolproof way to cook the green beans. Bite by bite, this recipe yields a delicious taste and a slightly crunchy texture. The beans turn out perfectly tender - not mushy and not watery. The secret to our Green Beans with Almonds is that we first blanch them using the technique from The Cook's Illustrated cookbook. See Cook’s Illustrated, Perfect Vegetables (2003).Paleo No Bake: Dried Plums with Walnuts and CreamBy foodjoyaThis Paleo No Bake Dessert - the dried plums (aka prunes) stuffed with walnuts and served with whipped cream and chocolate - originates from my native Moldova. You can find the original on this site (in Romanian). No matter what delectable desserts were on the menu, stuffed prunes with cream and shaved chocolate were the only dessert I'd ever order in a Moldovan restaurant. I learned how to make this dessert from my aunt and over the years perfected it. First, to make it a really healthy Paleo no bake dessert, I omit the sugar used in the original version. To add complexity to the taste of the dried plums, I presoak them in a little cognac. Finally, to achieve some sweetness, I melt high quality semi-bitter chocolate over the dried plums. The best part: this sugar-free, super-easy, paleo no bake dessert is packed with nutrients from the superfoods like prunes, walnuts, and dark chocolate! Make it and you're guaranteed to love it!Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes: New Veggie to LoveBy foodjoyaRoasted Jerusalem Artichokes (aka sunchokes) are a fantastic, healthy, easy side dish. They have a mild creamy, nutty flavor similar to water chestnuts. Did you know that Roasted Jerusalem artichokes are nutritional powerhouses? These quaint root veggies contain iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and water-soluble vitamins. See SFGATE, Health Benefits of Jerusalem Artichokes. Sunchokes are also high in inulin, an indigestible starchy substance that helps manage weight and prevent diabetes. See WebMD, Inulin.Red Lentil Soup with Red Bell Peppers and TomatoesBy foodjoyaThis is the best - absolutely the best - red lentil soup we have ever tried, including renowned ethnic restaurants and top selling cookbooks. Red Lentil Soup with Red Bell Peppers and Tomatoes is unusually flavorful. The flavor comes from the slowly cooked thyme, marjoram, grains of paradise (<- these can be substituted with black peppercorns), parsley, cayenne powder, caramelized diced tomatoes ... and your favorite tomato sauce, also caramelized. (The use of the caramelized sauce is the secret to the rich taste of the soup.) Though light (in fat and calories), the Red Lentil Soup is both nourishing and satisfying. With the meticuloulsy selected herbs and ingredients, this soup will always turn out good, we promise! (In fact, the soup is so good that our 4 year old eats a full bowl every time.) Sweet Potato Feta Salad Infused with Lemon: SpectacularBy foodjoyaJamie Oliver's potato salad with cilantro and feta inspired our Sweet Potato Feta Salad. Just as the original, our version will impress your palate with fresh, varied flavors. We altered (healthified) the recipe by (a) using only sweet potatoes, (b) adding sumac (to reduce sweetness and intensify citrus), and (c) finely chopping a little Feta. These ingredients plus cilantro and Fresnos create a spectacular, multi-faced flavor. Did you expect THAT MUCH flavor from a humble sweet potato? This salad complements any dish, but tastes best with roasted salmon (or, for omnivores, chicken). Oyster Mushrooms, Tarragon and Sour CreamBy foodjoyaI love mushrooms. When I was a child, my grandma took me mushroom-picking in the forest. She pickled most of the small mushrooms with cloves and bay leaves and cooked the bigger ones. And no one had ever cooked mushrooms in sour cream better than my Mom! After spending the entire morning in the forest, nothing tasted better than her fresh mushrooms sautéed with sour cream! In Oyster Mushrooms, Tarragon, and Sour Cream, I use my Mom’s time-tested technique for cooking mushrooms. It results in oyster mushrooms so tender that they melt in your mouth. Tarragon complements that tenderness wonderfully. For this recipe, please use only oyster mushrooms. Do not cook chanterelle or shiitake mushrooms using this recipe. Please also do not replace sour cream with yogurt (e.g., Greek or Icelandic), because yogurt curls up on the hot pan and doesn’t taste good. (We've tried.) Finally, note that this dish is finished under the broiler (we’d used the broiler function in our Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven). This step helps settle the flavor and eliminate any excess moisture from sour cream. Finally, this dish (Oyster Mushrooms, Tarragon and Sour Cream) yields 3 servings as a small rich side.
