Garlic, Onion and Feta Green Beans

Margot prepared a great example of a dish you might have in your menu for the Best CSA/Farm Market Menu Contest we are hosting with Kate's Kitchen. Please post entries to the contest to both blogs. Refer to the links above for complete information.

For the past few weeks we have received some beautiful green beans in our CSA. Truth be told I have historically not been a fresh green bean lover. As I have mentioned in previous posts I was brought up on nothing but canned. Jay has managed to find a few fresh green bean recipes that I have enjoyed but I wanted to create one on my own. Working with some of my favorite ingredients and sticking with my less is more attitude yielded results. Here is what I came up with….and I loved it!



Garlic, Onion & Feta Green Beans

2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves (Smashed)
1 Small Red Onion (Sliced)
1 lb Fresh Green Beans (Ends Removed)
Feta Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Place oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once oil is heated add onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add green beans and stir to coat with the oil. To insure even browning try to have beans in a single layer in the skillet. Cook over medium heating stirring occasionally until beans are slightly brown and fork tender, 10 to 20 minutes. Plate beans once cooked salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.

Jay and I both loved this dish. Though next time we both agreed that we need to work on the cooking time as some of the large beans were slightly undercooked. With a little practice I think that I will get the cook time down. Jay’s favorite part was the flavor of the onions and the garlic with the feta. I loved that with all the flavors the beans were still the star attraction. Another successful CSA experiment! Bring on the veggies…..

Mangia!
 
Margot

Your Best Healthy and Fresh Backyard Barbecue Side Dish

 

Ancient Fire and The Manly Housewife and are teaming up again, and this time we are looking for healthy and fresh side dishes for our backyard barbecues.

For the next two weeks, we are asking for visitors to submit comments to this post with a healthy and fresh recipe that they would bring to a backyard BBQ. Defining healthy could be a challenge, so we are going to keep it simple. Recipes should be low in bad fats and salt, with a reasonable calorie count and as many vitamins, minerals, and other good stuff as possible. Maximize the flavors and enjoyment while minimizing the negative impacts. You’re going to be eating burgers and dogs with it after all!

Recipes must include all ingredients with exact measurements, detailed preparation steps, expected servings, and any recommended service steps. Make sure you also tell us why you love a certain ingredient or what your goals were for combining the flavors, and of course anything else that excites you about healthy and fresh food.

The prize for the lucky winners will be a feature in each of the hosts’ blog one day the following week. The hosts will pick multiple winners randomly from all the entries we accept (see the rules above) and will contact winners for more information. Take pictures of anything applicable. If you win and you can get us photos, we’ll post them. Also include the address to contact you at for follow-ups.

Cheers!
 
--Margot & Jason

Your Best CSA/Farm Market Menu Contest

Ancient Fire Wines and Kate’s Kitchen and are teaming up to create some buzz for CSA/Farm Market inspired menus. There are so many fresh ingredients the possibilities are limitless!

For the next week we are asking for visitors to submit comments to this post on both blogs with a menu inspired by selections found in their CSA share or purchased at a local farm market. Menus can be for any meal of the day and should include the name and ingredients of each of the dishes being prepared. The majority of the ingredients used must come from the CSA/Farm Market, but staple items from the pantry and fridge are allowed; use your own judgment as to the “staple” nature of items used. Detailed preparation steps are not required for entry. Make sure you also tell us why you love a certain ingredient or what your goals were for combining the flavors, and of course anything else that excites you about fresh, local food.

The prize for the lucky winners will be a feature in each of the host’s blog one day the following week. The hosts will pick multiple winners randomly from all the entries we accept (see the rules above) and will contact winners for more information. Take pictures of anything applicable. If you win and you can get us photos we’ll post them. If you have complete recipes available we will also consider including those or link to your site where they are posted.

Kate's contest post. Please leave a comment with your/recipe menu idea and your contact info both on the Ancient Fire Wine Blog and with Kate.

Cheers!

Margot and Jay