When I realized I had to go gluten free for not only me, but for my daughter it was overwhelming. Over the past 3 years I have come up with mainstays in my kitchen that are a must in order to keep up with my family cooking and providing proper, tasty nutrition for my daughter & husband. In addition to the wheat sensitivity in my family, my husband battles high cholesterol so I try to find ways to assist in combating this issue. For example extra virgin olive oil cold pressed is excellent if cooking for someone battling high cholesterol. Also fresh garlic & onion are great immune boosters and detoxifiers as well as adding great, awesome flavor. I love cooking with fresh garlic and onion if someone is battling a cold in my family. I also use spices quite a bit to keep my meals interesting and exciting. Food is our friend. There are so many wonderful benefits to so many different types of food. It has definitely been one of the major healing factors on my road to recovery.
In addition to my mainstays, I am introducing my first recipe: green bean marsala. I have been asked time and time again to cook this dish for special occasions and always get rave reviews. It is also easy to prepare. The key is to cook the beans until soft.
Mainstays in my kitchen:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cold Pressed
Marsala Cooking Wine
Dried Minced Onion
Garlic Powder
Dried Thyme
Dried Oregano
Bag of sweet Onions
Fresh Garlic
Sea Salt
Green Bean Marsala:
1 lb of fresh green beans
½ cup to 1 cup Marsala Cooking wine
¼ to ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cold Pressed
1 tsp of Sea Salt
The following ingredients are not necessary, but will add flavor so you can add according to your taste:
Dried Minced Onion: 2 tbsp AND/OR Fresh onion: 1 chopped
Garlic Powder: 2 tsp AND/OR Garlic Clove Fresh: 2 chopped
Dried Thyme: ½ tsp
Dried Oregano: ½ tsp
Toss all ingredients together in large casserole pan for oven roasting. Make sure beans are tossed well in liquid. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Also if you really want to impress your guests cook the beans the day before, refrigerate overnight. The flavor has a chance to sink in the beans and the result is to die for, just heat and serve the next day.
Slow Roasted Method:
Bake at 300 degrees 5 – 7 hours. The longer the better for ingredients to fully manifest and offer optimal flavor. Take out every hour to toss so all beans cook through. This is important.
Quick roast method:
Bake at 425- 450 degrees for 30 – 60 minutes tossing every 10 minutes or beans will burn.
Enjoy, Happy Day, till next time…!!!!