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Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried Cherry Vinaigrette

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Turkey always gets top billing when we’re talking Thanksgiving, but let’s get real for a minute and call the Thanksgiving feast what it really is:  a carb orgy.  Stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, pies… the list goes on.  Nobody’s really looking forward to the vegetables.  If anything, they are kind of a necessary evil.  Often, they are delegated to some kind guest who thoughtfully asks the hostess “what can I bring?”

With so much energy being devoted to those magnificent carbs, veggies are often an afterthought.  “Oh, I guess we should have something green…”  Green beans are usually something that everyone can get on board with, unlike the controversial brussels sprouts or kale.  We’ve all enjoyed the green bean casserole, in all it’s cream-sauce-fried-onion glory, but I argue that it kinda defeats the whole purpose of putting something green on the table:  to provide a lighter contrast to all the richness.

This recipe is perfect for so many reasons.  The vinaigrette is a wonderful surprise.  The flavors are bright and intense, and the dried fruit and toasty walnuts help keep that seasonal vibe.  If you are hosting, it’s great because you can do it ahead.  If you are that thoughtful guest bringing the veggie dish, it’s equally great because you don’t have to burden your host’s already overworked oven or stovetop to reheat it.  It’s perfectly delicious at room temperature!

I’ve prepared this side dish on many occasions, modifying it only slightly from the way it originally appeared in Bon Appetit’s November 2010 issue.  This version will serve 12-15, and the addition of a touch more vinegar gives it a zippier flavor.

Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried Cherry Vinaigrette

3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/3 sherry wine vinegar
1/2 cup minced shallots
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup tart dried cherries
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 pounds trimmed slender green beans

Toast and chop the walnuts.  This can be done several days ahead, and they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Place the sherry wine vinegar, minced shallots, salt, sugar, and pepper in a small bowl.  Slowly drizzle the olive oil in while whisking vigorously.  Add in the dried cherries.  This can be done a day or so ahead, and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Boil the green beans in salted water for three minutes.  While they are doing their thing, fill a big bowl with ice water and set a colander down into it.  Once the beans are tender-crisp, drain them and shock them in the ice water.  This stops the cooking process and locks in the brilliant color.

This can be done a day ahead, just drain them once they are cooled, wrap them in paper towels, and seal them in a baggie until ready to serve.

On the day of, place the green beans in a pretty serving dish and spoon the vinaigrette over.

The shallots have mellowed out, sweetened, and become almost pickled in the dressing.  The tart cherries are plumped and juicy and give a wonderful sweet and chewy contrast.

Sprinkle the toasted walnuts on for crunch.

And top with chopped mint for a fresh, herbal note.

This is a veggie dish that can stand up to all those delicious carbs!  I’m just as excited to eat these green beans at a holiday dinner as all that stuffing, potato, and pie…

What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?  Are you a host or a guest?  Have you been asked to bring a dish?  Did you get stuck with the green veggie?  Let me know what you think of this recipe!

And have a very happy Thanksgiving holiday from YinMom YangMom!  xoxo

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Summer’s Bounty

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Allie

Look the backyard vegetable garden my Mr. put together earlier this season:

Isn’t it a work of art?  I am so very proud of his hard work.  Out here in the boonies, (where I grew up and now find myself again), vegetable gardens are a common sight in most backyards.  Nevertheless, I’m thoroughly impressed with the farming skills of my rather citified husband…

Even if you don’t have a backyard vegetable garden, delicious summer fruits and vegetables are hard to miss right now.  Supermarkets, farmers markets, and roadside stands bursting with fresh produce seem to be everywhere you look.  Take advantage of the best summer has to offer, with an easy summertime classic that’s so simple to prepare, you don’t even need to cook it!

Who doesn’t enjoy a cool, refreshing bowl of fresh gazpacho?  I’ve liked it as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until I tasted the real deal, on my honeymoon in Spain, that I truly fell in love.

Most of the gazpacho I had tried up until that point was a lot like a soupy salsa.  Lots of chunky veg blended together and served cold.  Nice.  But true Gazpacho Andaluz is a completely different animal.  Velvety smooth, pale in color, and so rich and creamy you almost can’t believe it’s completely free of dairy.

Allie’s Gazpacho Andaluz

3-4 baguette slices
1/2 cup water
1 cucumber
2 large, ripe tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper
3 scallions, green part only
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)

Start by trimming off and discarding the crusts of the bread.  Soak the bread in water.

While that’s soaking, peel your cucumber and halve it lengthways.  Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove the core, and squeeze the seeds out.  This really isn’t as difficult as it maybe sounds.  I just run my thumb inside all the little tomato crevices and squish the seeds out.

Now just hack the bell pepper and the scallions up a bit, and throw all the veg into the bowl of the blender.

Scoop up the soggy bread, squoosh out all the excess water, (there’s a lot of squooshing going on in this recipe), and throw that into the blender too.  You can also add in the olive oil, bready water, sherry vinegar, salt, agave, and garlic powder.  (I like garlic powder because to me it’s a little less sharp than raw garlic.)

Let it buzz for a good long time, so it gets nice and smooth.

Set up a strainer over a big bowl.  I especially like the kind with the pour spout, so you won’t even have to dirty up a ladle.  I get pretty lazy when it’s hot outside…

Pour in the soup and let it strain.  You can speed up the process by stirring it around in the strainer.

Serve it mercifully cold and garnish as you wish!  (I’ve used some sliced scallions and a dribble of olive oil.)

Here is a 4×6″ printable recipe card for you:  Gazpacho Andaluz Recipe Card, but please just use it as a rough guide.  You can use as much or as little of any ingredient as you like.  You can even swap out ingredients!  And, as for the seasonings (salt, agave, and vinegar), you really just want to taste and decide for yourself.  A lot will depend on the produce you begin with.

Do you like to grow your own food?  What is your favorite seasonal summer ingredient?  How do you like to put your bumper crop to use?  Are you feeling pretty lazy these days, too?  I’m hoping nobody drops by unexpectedly and sees the layer of dust that is accumulating… if so maybe I can distract them with a nice cold bowl of soup.