Tag Archives: side dish

Cannellini and Kale

Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetables, , , , , ,

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Many moons ago when I was single and purchased my first home I lived next door to a wonderful elderly Italian couple. Ernie and John B. welcomed me into the neighborhood and into their home with open arms. I quickly became part of their extended family and was blessed with many delicious Italian treats Ernie always liked to share.

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Ernie was a great cook and I looked forward to her knock on my door to say she had something extra she wanted to me to try. Besides Ernie’s holiday pizzelles there was one treat I looked forward to eating. It was a simple cannellini bean and garlic dish made with olive oil and Italian seasonings. Simple but delicious. Probably the most important ingredient Ernie added was love. I have always said that food prepared with love is the best food in the world.

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I have since moved from the old neighborhood and my extended Italian family has passed on. I have fond memories of Ernie and John and only recently remembered her cannellini and bean recipe. In honor of Ernie, I decide to create my own version of her dish. I souped up the cannellini and garlic by adding fresh chopped kale and red pepper slices for color. The creaminess of the beans, the sweetness of the red peppers and slight crunch of the kale ( I like it al dente in some recipes) created a ping pong of textures in my mouth. Throw in nice Italian seasonings and you have a fantastic side dish or meal.

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I think Ernie would be proud of my version of her delicious beans and would give me a big hug for honoring her memory.

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Cannellini and Kale

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped kale
2 15oz cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic sliced
½ red pepper seeded and sliced thin
½ cup chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp oregano
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan. Add kale and saute until slightly wilted (cook longer if you do not like kale al dente) for 3 – 5 minutes. Add garlic, sliced red pepper and seasonings. Stir then add chicken broth and beans. Stir to mix beans with kale and peppers. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.

Salad (Italian Sub Style)

Main Course, Side Dish, Soups/ Salads / Stews, Vegetables, , , , , , ,

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I was eating a small Italian sub the other day and started thinking about my promise to cut back on eating bread. As we all know, eating too many carbs is not good for you. I was feeling guilty since I had already eaten a bagel for breakfast and I was trying to limit my bread intake to once per day if at all.

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While eating my sandwich I was thinking of ways I could ditch the roll and just eat what was inside the roll. Then I thought why not turn my sandwich into a salad. Viola! I could still have the ingredients of an Italian sub but no bread. I decided to create a Salad (Italian Sub Style) with lots of romaine lettuce and a sprinkling of meats, cheeses, tomatoes and Italian seasonings. This salad can be either a nice small portioned start to a meal or a meal unto itself. Either way I think you will enjoy it.

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Salad (Italian Sub Style)
Ingredients:
1 bunch romaine lettuce chopped
½ cup pepperoni sliced into strips
½ cup capicola sliced into strips
½ cup salami sliced into strips
½ cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
½ cup provolone cheese sliced into strips
¼ cup sweet peppers (optional)
½ tbsp parsley chopped
½ tbsp red onion chopped small (optional)
¼ cup black olives sliced
¼ cup olive oil

Seasonings:
2 tbsp Italian salad dressing
½ tbsp lemon zest
½ tbsp oregano
½ tsp onion powder
½ tbsp dill
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice

Whisk together oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salad dressing, salt, black pepper, oregano and dill. Set aside.

Combine romaine, tomatoes, red onion, black olives, sweet peppers, meats and cheeses in a large bowl. Whisk olive oil dressing then drizzle over salad. Toss gently. Enjoy!

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Roasted Potatoes with Feta Cheese

Fruits, Vegetables, , ,

Roasted Potatoes 3_1While my family loves pasta I am a potato girl. I love potatoes almost any way you fix them whether they are oven fried, mashed, boiled or roasted. Nothing against pasta and rice but I think potatoes are wonderful because they soak up the flavors of whatever you add to them. By now you may know I love the idea of layering flavors in a dish. So the layers of flavors in this roasted potatoes dish is both savory and sweet. I recently discovered a nice way to roast potatoes with a few cranberries and raisins. Then I topped them off with feta. Yummy!

Roasted Potatoes 2_1Potatoes can be both good and bad for the diet. The key to eating potatoes is to do it in moderation. Having said that I would stay away from deep frying potatoes no matter what. Potatoes tend to absorb grease which puts on the pounds, effects your skin and is not healthy! Still, potatoes have lots of fiber, vitamin C and B vitamins. As long as you keep the portions small you can partake of any type of potato you like. For this recipe I used red potatoes. I haven’t tried it yet but I am sure sweet potatoes would taste good too. I will let you know how that one turns out later.

Roasted Potatoes with Feta 1_1For those of you who don’t eat meat you can still enjoy this dish by leaving off the crumbled bacon.

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Roasted Potatoes with Feta 4_1          Roasted Potatoes with Feta Fini 2_1

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Potatoes with Feta Cheese

Ingredients:
1 lb potatoes quartered
¼ cup cranberries
¼ cup golden raisins
¾ cup Gazebo Room balsamic vinaigrette
¼ cup feta cheese
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 scallion thinly sliced (separate the white and green parts of the onion)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black ground pepper
½ tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp melted butter
3 slices crisp bacon chopped
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for the bacon, feta cheese and green onion. Mix well to coat the potatoes. Spray a lipped cookie sheet with cooking spray to prevent potatoes from sticking. Spread potato mixture with juices onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until potatoes are golden brown and fork tender. Remove from oven and place in a casserole or serving dish. Sprinkle with feta cheese, bacon and  a little green onion.