Salmon with Dijon Dill Sauce

I'm sure that I've shared it hear many times before that I'm a huge dill fan.  I had some salmon in the freezer that I wanted to use, and I was thinking about doing something with dill since it has been a while since we have had it.  While searching on myrecipes.com, I found one for salmon with potatoes and dill which would also use up some potatoes that we needed to use.  Rick wasn't excited over the recipe so I decided to use it as an inspiration.  We baked two potatoes (for 1 hour at 400F), and I made a Dijon Dill Sauce.  Rick isn't a huge salmon fan, but he liked this recipe (always a plus!).  I did, however, overcook it (forgot to set the timer...oops).  Here's what we did...

Salmon with a Dijon Dill Sauce

Ingredients

• 4  6-ounce salmon fillets, skin removed
• 1/2 tablespoon horseradish
• 1  small shallot, finely chopped
• 1  tablespoon  Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup low fat sour cream
• 2  tablespoons  roughly chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnishing
• black pepper
• salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F (if serving with baked potatoes, start the salmon when the potatoes have 10 minutes left).

Combine shallot, Dijon mustard, sour cream, dill, and horseradish in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper as desired.  Chill in the refrigerator.

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place the salmon on a baking sheet and roast in the oven 10 minutes or until opaque (depending on the thickness of the salmon).

Top with sauce and enjoy!

Super Easy Grilled Shrimp

Rick and I decided to grill out last night (yum steaks!!) and for an easy starter, I decided to grill some shrimp that I had in the refrigerator that I was afraid were about to go bad.  This recipe was inspired by this one from Food Network's Barefoot Contessa.  I made some changes based on what ingredients that I had on hand in my kitchen.

Here's what I did...

Super Easy Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  
• 2 tablespoons dried basil leaves
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
  
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of one lime
• Bamboo skewers

Directions

Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.

Mix all of the ingredients (minus the skewers) in a bowl and marinate the shrimp for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator.  Skewer the shrimp on the bamboo skewers.  Heat the grill to medium heat and grill the shrimp for around 1 minute per side.  Grilling time depends on the size of the shrimp (larger ones may require a little more time).

Enjoy!

Spicy Tartar(heel) Sauce

I decided to have a "cheat" day from my good eating, and Rick and I had some fried flounder last night.  He likes to cut the fish into nuggets so we did that.  I breaded them with the awesome House Autry breading.  It makes for perfect fried seafood whether it be fish or shrimp.  Rick did the frying because he's better at it than I am.  I'm way too impatient to get them all as crispy and golden brown the way that he likes it.  While he was cooking, I made a tartar sauce to go with the flounder.  I used a recipe from epicurious.com for a Cajun tartar sauce, made some changes, and cut it in half.  Sadly, I forgot to put it up when I went to bed last night (our cole slaw met the same fate, too :( ).  The tartar sauce turned out really well!  I'll definitely do it again!  Here's what I did...

Cajun Tartar Sauce

Ingredients 

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 tablespoon prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (I used Emeril's Bayou Blast)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator (covered) before serving.

Enjoy!

Pan-Seared Tilapia with Chile Lime Butter

For my birthday dinner, I really wanted to cook something new.  I know that it sounds funny to say that because most people want to go out on their birthdays (and trust me, we are going out this weekend to one of my favorite restaurants, The Boathouse on Isle of Palms.  Rick had a training today so I was searching the internet and sending him recipes for us to try.  When I found this one on epicurious.com, I found the winner!  I decided, too, that I wanted to do some sort of app to go with it so I opted to dig out a shrimp recipe that I'd made a while back for Thai Night for Shrimp Rolls.  I accidentally took the tails off of them this time around so that they were more like spring rolls or egg rolls.  We liked 'em better that way actually!   Rick has decided that these need to be added to our favorite list!

The tilapia turned out really good though I did put too much lime juice in the butter (I wasn't paying attention and added the juice from two limes....in the recipe, I opted to write in less).  I didn't have a shallot so I subbed a We had them with our favorite green beans with almonds as the side.  Here's what I did...

Pan-Seared Tilapia with Chile Lime Butter

Ingredients

For chile lime butter

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 2cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest
•  Juice from 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

For fish

• 2 pieces skinless tilapia fillets (1 per person)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil (I have recently started using Smart Balance oil unless I'm using extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 egg
• Panko bread crumbs

Directions

For the lime butter

Stir together all ingredients in a bowl.

For fish:

Beat egg in a small bowl and coat fish with it.  Next, add bread crumbs to a plate and then coat fish evenly.  Place on another plate.  Heat oil in a non-stick skillet and add fish.  Saute fish until golden and turn once.  Remove from skillet and plate.  Add a dollop of butter to fish and serve.

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon with Roasted Corn Relish

For the past few weeks, I've actually been working out and trying to do something about the weight that I've put on since I went to nursing school.  Last week, I told Rick that we were going on a diet, and he wasn't too thrilled.  He told me that diets never worked, but I'm not talking about some fad diet.  I'm talking about eating better.  One of the good things about living in the Lowcountry is that the warm weather allows us to grill for more months than some of my more Northern friends.  Unfortunately, though, we are now entering what I like to call the "Oppressively Hot" time of the year.  It starts around my birthday (which is next week, btw) and goes until some time toward the end of August.  Luckily, the evenings aren't so bad which makes it a little bit easier to eat healthier!

For dinner last night, I was browsing the Cooking Light recipes on myrecipes.com when I came across this recipe.  Ever since I made that chicken with corn salsa, I'm a sucker for anything with a corn salsa or relish or whatever the recipe wants to call the corn goodness on top! I actually used the chicken with corn salsa recipe to help me out a bit because I didn't have the Anaheim peppers like the original recipe called for (and I also decided to add a minced garlic clove, too...I can't help it!!!). I did end up using the leftover relish on chicken tonight (it makes a lot!), and it was quite yummy!!  

Here's what I did...

Grilled Salmon with Roasted Corn Relish

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon, seeded jalapenos, chopped

Butter

3  shucked ears corn

1 can diced tomato, drained

1/4  cup chopped fresh cilantro

Juice from 2 limes
1 clove of garlic, minced

1  teaspoon  salt, divided

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided

1  teaspoon  ground cumin

1 pound skinless salmon fillets

Directions

Butter corn.  Place corn on grill rack (I used a grill basket that I use for all the veggies that we do all our veggies on) ; grill  until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Cool and cut kernels from cobs.

Combine jalapenos, corn, garlic, tomato, cilantro, and juice; toss gently. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and cumin, stirring well. Rub spice mixture evenly over both sides of salmon. Place salmon on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with relish.

Enjoy!

Another Katie Classic: Spicy Shrimp Pasta

This recipe is one of the first ones that came into my cooking repertoire. The first time that I ever made it was back in 1998. I found it in the Southern Living 1997 Annual Recipes Cookbook, and it is super easy which was perfect for me back then. I've made a couple of changes from the original recipe, but I still love it to this day. I've made it for quite a few people and shared it with several of them. I also like it because it provides two nice size servings. I hope that you enjoy it, too!


Spicy Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
8 oz of linguine
3/4 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup cooking wine with lemon
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (sometimes, I sub the Parmesan-Romano blend)
2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
5 teaspoons dried parsley

Directions
Cook linguine per box directions in water that has been salted and seasoned with garlic powder. Drain, return to pot, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add green onions and garlic. Saute until tender. Add Cajun seasoning and stir for one minute

Stir in shrimp and whipping cream. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in wine and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add sauce, Parmesan cheese, and red pepper to the pot with linguine and heat over low heat, stirring gently. Stir in parsley and serve immediately.

Would it really be a Low Country blog without Shrimp and Grits?

Before I moved to the Charleston area, I had never tried shrimp and grits.  I always thought that it sounded like a pretty cool dish since I pretty much like anything involving shrimp and I am a fan of grits.  Grits are definitely a Southern thing, and it's really hard, if not impossible, to try to explain what exactly grits are to someone born and raised outside of the South as I learned when my cousin had her bachelorette party in Charleston this summer.  I joined them for dinner one night at Magnolia's, and several of the girls were from up north.  It was amusing trying to explain grits to them when they saw them on the menu.  Magnolia's has awesome shrimp and grits, by the way, and even though I contemplating ordering something else, I couldn't resist and had to order them!  I knew I would regret it otherwise.

I am really lucky to have access to such wonderful local shrimp.  The shrimping industry is a huge part of life in the Low Country, but unfortunately, the downturn in the economy has really hurt the shrimpers.  I try my best to buy local whenever possible.  The picture is on that I took of shrimp boats on Shem Creek here in Mount Pleasant a couple of years ago.

Since first trying shrimp and grits, I've had them at I don't even know how many places around town.  Sometimes, they were awesome, and sometimes, they weren't.  You can get them with brown gravy or more of a tomato-y sauce with the grits.  Over the years, I've also tried out quite a few recipes in search of one that I would be proud to call my own.  The one complaint that I do have with making them is that to make a to die for dish, you've got to use heavy cream with the grits.  Not half and half, not low fat or even whole milk...straight up, bad for ya, hip-expanding heavy cream.  Trust me when I say that it is definitely worth it.  And no, instant grits will NOT do!!!!  You've got to use the stone ground variety.

Shrimp and Grits

For the Grits:

Ingredients
1 cup stone ground grits
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
6 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove minced
3/4  cup whipping cream

Directions
Bring chicken broth, whipping cream, butter and garlic to a boil in a heavy saucepan.  Gradually whisk in grits and return to a boil.  Continue to whisk constantly.  Reduce heat to low.  Simmer uncovered until grits thicken, whisking often, for around 15 minutes.


For the shrimp:
Ingredients
2 pounds of large, uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup shallots, chopped
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced.
1/2 cup white wine
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh parlsey
2 tablespoons fresh chives
Creole seasoning
4 ounces of prosciutto, cut into thin strips
1-2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Season shrimp with Creole seasoning and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and green pepper and saute for 3 minutes.  Add garlic and shallots and saute for another 2 minutes.  Add shrimp and saute for 2 minutes.  Remove shrimp from the skillet.  Add wine and boil until reduced to glaze (around 5 minutes).  Add diced tomatoes (juices included), parsley, chives and prosciutto and simmer for 2 minute.  Return shrimp to the skillet and simmer for another 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Add grits into bowels, and top each serving with shrimp mixture.  It should serve 4-6.

Enjoy!

Greek Style Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp

A friend of mine from high school also has a food blog, and today, she had a posted a recipe for Greek Shrimp Scampi.  Before I even read the recipe, just seeing the words "Greek" and "shrimp" made me think of one of my favorite recipes from epicurious.com called Greek-Style Pasta with Shrimp.  Prior to my moving to SC, I lived in the Triangle and worked part time at this Greek restaurant in Durham called Spartacus. It was my first restaurant job, and I loved working there!  It is a family-owned business, and they have wonderful food!  When I first moved, I missed it a lot.  For all of the wonderful cuisine around here, Mount Pleasant is seriously lacking in the Greek area.  I have to go all the way to West Ashley to find any that is decent!  Anyway, I stumbled across the epicurious.com recipe about a year or so after I moved here, and it really hit the spot.  The recipe is quick and easy, and since I use canned, diced tomatoes, I usually have everything that I need in my pantry (well, and freezer if you include the shrimp)!  Now, if I could just figure out how to make amazing tzatziki sauce like Spartacus has, I'd be all set!  Hmmm, I feel an experiment coming on...

Here is my adaptation.  It is excellent served with pita bread brushed with olive oil and Italian seasoning, wrapped in aluminum foil, and heated in the oven at 250 while making the sauce.



Greek-Style Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp


Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
4 tablespoons crab stock (white wine can be subbed)
Feta cheese

8 oz cooked Angel Hair Pasta
Salt and pepper to taste



Directions
Cook angel hair pasta according to directions on box seasoned with garlic powder and salt (if desired).  Set aside.



Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic and onion and saute for 30 seconds.  Add artichokes, tomatoes (and juice), crab stock, lemon, basil, oregano, and parsley. Saute for 5 minutes or until thickened a little bit. Add shrimp and saute until shrimp is cooked. Salt and pepper to taste.


Divide pasta into individual servings.  Top with sauce and feta cheese and serve.


Enjoy!!

Warm Scallop Salad with Prosciutto Chips

I have to admit that I was disappointed a few weeks ago when Rick finally admitted to me that he wasn't a fan of this recipe...or as he put it, it wasn't one of his favorites. He said that it was too lemony which sent me into the kitchen to try to make it something that he loves as much as I do! Adding a pinch of sugar definitely takes care of the tartness from the lemon, and I like to add a couple of tablespoons of white wine to the lemon juice to make a more complex.

I've been making this recipe for years, and I've been known to add thinly sliced onions and tomatoes to the salad. I serve it as a main course and use 10-12 sea scallops when I'm making it for two.

Here is the recipe with my adaptations.

Ingredients

4 paper-thin slices prosciutto
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Romaine Lettuce
1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
10 sea scallops
All purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons white wine
Parmesan cheese (shredded)


Directions
Brush each prosciutto slice on 1 side lightly with some of oil. Heat heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 slices prosciutto, oiled side down. Cook until bottom is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn prosciutto over and cook until bottom is browned, flattening with spatula, about 1 minute longer. Using tongs, transfer prosciutto to paper towels to crisp. Repeat with remaining 2 slices prosciutto. Reserve skillet.

Place lettuce and basil in large bowl and mix together. Set aside.

Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper; dust lightly with flour. Heat remaining oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook until brown and just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.

Saute garlic in pan. Add white wine, lemon juice and lemon peel to drippings in skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour pan juices over greens and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among 2 plates and top with scallops. Garnish with prosciutto chips and serve. I like to tent them around the center of the salad and surround them with the scallops. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with a Lemon-Caper Sauce

When Rick and I were discussing what we wanted to do for dinner on Saturday, he mentioned thawing out some chicken breasts, but I had other things in mind. I had been checking out the weekly specials on Publix's website, and they had tilapia fillets on sale this week. As soon as I mentioned the Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia, Rick was excited. He said that it was one of his favorite meals, and I have to agree, too. I found this recipe on a website that apparently no longer exists so I'm extremely happy to have printed it out. I'm also glad that I get to share it here! I've made it quite a few times, and it is rather easy. The recipe suggests serving it with orzo and asparagus (both of which I have done), but this time around, I decided to pair it with the green beans with almonds that I made a couple of weeks ago.

Cooking has become more adventurous over the past few weeks with the two new editions to our family, Ty and Weezy. These two kittens spent their first week or so intermittently hiding under the couch, but now, they are all over the place...especially under our feet when we are in the kitchen!


Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia with a Lemon Caper Sauce
Serves 2

Ingredients
2 Tilapia fillets
1 egg
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons capers, drained
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons white wine
1/4 cup crab stock (clam juice or chicken stock can be substituted)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Olive oil

Directions
Combine cheese, flour, and breadcrumbs in a shallow pan and set aside. Slightly beat egg in a bowl. Dip fish in the egg wash, and then coat each fillet with the cheese mixture.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick pan. Brown fish on both sides. Remove from pan and place on a plate. Cover the plate with aluminum foil to keep warm.

In the same pan, add a little more oil and saute the garlic. Add capers, lemon juice, wine, and crab stick to the pan. Also add salt and pepper to taster. Reduce this mixture by half and add the butter once the pan has been removed from the heat.

Plate fish on separate plates and spoon the sauce evenly over the two fillets.

Enjoy!

Tomato-Basil Crab Bisque and Grilled Cheese

Looking for something that wouldn't aggravate the dental work that Rick had this week, I chose to make us soup this evening. Rick readily admitted that he isn't much of a soup person, but I was hopeful that this delicious Tomato-Basil Crab Bisque from epicurious.com. I was excited because I was going to get to use some of the crab stock that I made a while back. In this recipe, I substitute it for the bottled clam juice and also mix a little bit in with tomato juice in place of the Clamato juice required by the recipe. Instead of using crackers, I decided to make cheese crisps to go with the soup. The meal wouldn't be complete with out a yummy multi-cheese grilled cheese sandwiches!!! Because he had dental work done today, he did want to take any chances with the cheese crisps after he had half of one. He confesssed, though, that if circumstances were different, there wouldn't have been any left. He did enjoy a grilled cheese and a little soup, though.

Here are the recipes:

3-Cheese Cheese Crisps

Ingredients
1/2 container of 3-cheese blend
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a baking sheet with Pam Cooking Spray, or grease the pan, or cover with parchment paper. Mix cheese and pepper in a small bowl. Place one tablespoon of the mixture on the baking sheet and space about 1/2 inch apart. Bake until golden and crisp (around 3-5 minutes).



Multi-Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients
Bread, two slices per sandwich
Butter
American cheese slices
Six-cheese blend
Cheddar cheese

Directions
Butter one side of two slices of bread, and repeat for desired number of sandwiches. In a small bowl, mix a handful of cheddar and a handful of six cheese blend together. Place one piece of bread buttered side down in a pan that is heated over medium heat. Cover the top bread with the cheese mixture and let the cheese begin to melt. Add a slice of America cheese and the other piece of bread. As the cheese continues to melt, flip the sandwich. Continue to flip until the sandwich is lightly browned on both sides. Repeat steps for each sandwich.


Tomato-Basil Crab Bisque

The following recipe is my adaptation of the epicurious.com recipe.
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 cans (6 oz) crabmeat
• 1 can diced tomatoes
  
• 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups tomato juice
• 1 cup crab stock
  
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup white wine
  
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add crabmeat, tomato, 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil, and garlic. Sauté 2 minutes. Whisk in flour; stir 2 minutes. Whisk in tomato juice, 1/2 cup crab stock and next 5 ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Divide soup among 6 bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons basil and serve. Serves 6 as a first course.

A little meal for two

When you are cooking for a small number, you run the risk of too many leftovers. There are definitely certain meals that I love, but after the third or fourth time in a row of eating it, they really lose something. In order to avoid meal burn-out, I started using recipes that were made for two. One that I had made several times was fried catfish and and green beans with crushed almonds. As is often the case, these two recipes are from epicurious.com. One of my favorite things about them is that they are both really simple, rather quick, and made for two.

When I showed Rick the recipes, he was excited about them. I had thought that I had made them for him before, but apparently ;), I hadn't. For the preparations, Rick broke up the slivered almonds while they were still in the package while I prepped the green beans. He also toasted the almonds. While Rick minced two cloves of garlic and pressed another, I sliced two shallots to substitute for the chives in the catfish recipe. I've never done that substitution before, but I needed to get rid of the shallots. We breaded the catfish with panko after an egg wash instead of just flour. Rick was on frying duty, and I put the green beans together. When I was making the sauce for the catfish, I forgot to put the ginger in, but it turned out great! I know I've said it before, but Rick said that it is on his lists of favorites. We've been talking about redoing this recipe this week so that he can experience it with the ginger, but we'll see.

Here are the recipes. Both of these recipes serve 2!

Fried Catfish with Chive-Ginger Sauce
Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 small garlic clove, pressed
• 1 teaspoon (packed) golden brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 6- to 7-ounce skinless catfish fillets
• All purpose flour

Directions
Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, grated ginger, garlic and golden brown sugar in small bowl to blend. Mix in 3 tablespoons chopped chives. (Sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Press 1 tablespoon chopped chives onto both sides of fish. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Dredge fish in flour; shake off excess.

Pour peanut oil into heavy large skillet to depth of 1/4 inch. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add catfish fillets to skillet and cook until crisp outside and just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer catfish to paper towels to drain. Place catfish on plates. Pour sauce over. Garnish catfish with whole chives and serve immediately.

Changes I made: bread fish in panko; subbed 2 shallots for chives forgot to use ginger (it's great either way!!)


Green Beans with Crushed Almonds
Ingredients

• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup blanched whole almonds, finely ground

Directions

Cook beans in a 3-qt. saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes, and drain. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then cook garlic, stirring, until it just begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add almonds and cook, stirring, until they begin to color slightly, about 2 minutes. Add beans and cook, stirring, until tender and heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Changes I made: Break the almonds in their plastic package and then toast them. I used two cloves of garlic instead of one. I cooked with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.