Sesame Green Beans

Look at these beauties!

These Sesame Green Beans are an exercise in simplicity. They are crisp. A little spicy. Pumped up with sesame. And freshened up with a sprinkling of scallions. I love them deeply and I'm sure you will too. 

I was inspired to create this recipe after having a very similar Asian green bean salad from an adorable little market in Maine a couple of summers ago. It was simple and refreshing, perfect as a starter or a side. That's exactly what I wanted with this recipe, with the added bonus of being able to prep this well ahead of time! 

Obviously, the stars of this show are fresh green beans and a bit of sesame oil. I start by quickly steaming the green beans, for just about 5 to 7 minutes, then blanching them in ice water. This will keep them a bright and vibrant green as well as perfectly crispy and toothy. Once the beans are chilled, all that's left to do is whisk up the dressing. Sesame oil, lime juice, a splash of soy sauce, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Simple but composed. The perfect mix of toasty, tart and salty. 

Toss the beans in the dressing. Pop 'em in the fridge to marinate for a few minutes up to a couple of hours. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and chopped scallions before serving. Give yourself a pat on the back because you just made a bomb.com dish that will make even your pickiest eaters eat their vegetables :-) 

Molasses Braised Brussel Sprouts

I need to be open and honest about something here today: I love brussel sprouts.

Right now, though - this isn't the most outlandish thing I could have said. Brussel sprouts are totally having their moment in the food world. People are learning to cook them in fun and interesting ways that doesn't leave you with a steamy pile of grey-ish green mush. These days are gone. Now, we are roasting, sauteeing, and grilling our sprouts until golden brown and crisp. We are cooking them with bacon and pancetta. We are glazing them in balsamic, fig compote, and honey. Sometimes, we are even having them raw, sliced thin and tossed in flavorful vinaigrettes to make new, unique slaws.

I'm so proud of us!! It's like we saved brussel sprouts from inevitable vegetable extinction.

Enough of all this drama, though. We need to talk about this simple side dish that will elevate any dinner menu to a whole new level. Molasses Braised Brussel Sprouts are easy to make and even easier to eat. Sweet, tangy, salty, crunchy. If your family thinks they don't like brussel sprouts, put these on the menu and watch them fly off the table!

My favorite way to cook brussel sprouts is by cutting them in half and searing in a hot pan until golden brown on the cut side, then covering the pan and allowing them to steam to finish cooking. It's foolproof, and it is the base of our cooking method for this recipe. Rather than steaming with a bit of water, however, we are going to make a delicious pan sauce using butter, apple cider vinegar, and molasses! I very rarely cook with molasses outside of holiday/gingerbread baking, but after one of my Blue Apron recipes used it, I couldn't wait to try it in different ways!

The molasses will thicken slightly while it cooks, leaving us with a wonderful glaze-like sauce. It is a little sweet and a little smokey, and the tang of the apple cider vinegar will add just the zip we need to balance that richness. I can't say enough about this side dish other than it is absolutely a new favorite in our house!

Brussel Sprouts, previously (photos leaving something to be desired): in pasta, parmesan crusted

Simple Sides: Garlicky Spinach with Crispy Bacon

I have this vision for a new series and as you can see I am calling it "Simple Sides."

Oftentimes I feel like we all get bogged down with the main course that sometimes the hardest thing to do is pull together some delicious side dishes to round out the meal.

This happened to me this past weekend. I was cooking oven roasted chicken thighs that I wanted to have a really delicious crisp skin and juicy meat. After I popped the chicken in the oven I realized that I hadn't made any plan on what to serve alongside this chicken. Panic ensued and I went scurrying through my fridge and freezer trying to see what veggies I had on hand.

Luckily this story has a happy ending and this Garlicky Spinach with Crispy Bacon is just that. This side dish comes together in a flash and it is packed with great flavor. Anything that has bacon in it HAS to be good, so this should seem like a no-brainer. Add tasty garlic and protein-packed spinach to that equation and we are in side dish heaven.

I don't know about you, but at big holiday meals I am always loading up on extra potatoes and veggies rather than turkey or ham and if this spinach was part of that, Lord knows I'd be going back for seconds and thirds.

The recipe below is a perfect side for two, but it can easily be multiplied to serve a larger crowd.

If there are more vegetables or side dishes you'd like me to try out as a Simple Side, feel free to leave a comment below!