Green Beans with Shallot and Almonds

I always am on the lookout for recipes and ways to make vegetables into something I want to eat rather than just something I should eat.   This dish is so flavorful, you will want to eat all your vegetables and even make enough for seconds.  I grew up in a house where dinner almost always included a meat, a starch and a vegetable, so green beans have always been a staple for me.  I remember one of my first kitchen tasks as a kid was trimming the ends off green beans.

There is no excuse not to include a vegetable with dinner when you have a recipe this easy and delicious.

Ingredient Count: 5 (only needed to buy 2)

Ingredients
1 lb. Green beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small to medium shallot, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add green beans to boiling water.  Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until green beans are just about tender.  Drain and plunge in ice water. Let sit for about 1 minute and drain.

Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.  Once hot, add the sliced shallot.  Stirring once or twice until golden and crisp, about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the shallot to a plate lined with a paper towel using a slotted spoon. 

Add the green beans to the pan, season.  Cook until green beans are crisp- tender.  Serve with shallots and almonds on top.

Simple Rice Pilaf

 This is my go to side dish recipe.  It is so simple, even easier than boxed rice and it pairs with absolutely anything.  Before I made this rice for the first time, I would use the boxed rice when serving rice for dinner, but ever since I have tried this, I have never gone back to boxed rice.  It takes an equivalent amount of time but packs more flavor without the sometimes soupy consistency of boxed rice.  You also control the amounts of ingredients when you cook your own, which is always a plus if you are concerned about your sodium intake or unpronounceable ingredients in pre-made food products.   This recipe is my base recipe, but you can also add a variety of different ingredients to this depending on what your are serving as your main course.  You could add vegetables, garlic, almonds or even pieces of cooked chicken to make this a meal of its own. 

For those that don't know, rice pilaf simply means rice that is cooked in broth.  When I first started making this, I used standard chicken broth but one day at the store I saw that College Inn sold a white wine and herb flavored chicken broth so I thought I'd give it a shot.  That broth was amazing in this rice and adds such a rich flavor to the rice that standard chicken broth does not.  Ever since then, I use for this when I make the base (and others) recipe of this rice.

Ingredient Count: 6 (I usually keep all of these ingredients on hand)

To begin, add 4 tablespoons butter to a skillet and turn on the stove to a medium high heat, Watch to make sure that you only melt the butter and it does not burn.

 Once melted and hot, add the orzo to the pan and saute until golden brown, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 3 to 4 minutes.

 Once the rice is a golden brown color, add the rice.  Stir to combine,  Saute for about 1-2 minutes

 Add the broth, bring to a boil.

Once at a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan.  Cook for 20  minutes.  Once complete, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.  Serve immediately.

Simple Rice Pilaf

4 Tbsp. Butter
1 cup Orzo
1 cup Basmati rice
14.5 oz chicken broth (I prefer College Inn white wine and herb chicken broth)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Melt butter in a saute pan.

Once butter is melted, add orzo and saute until lightly golden.

Once the rice is a golden brown color, add the rice.  Stir to combine,  Saute for about 1-2 minutes

Pour in the chicken broth, stir and bring to a boil.

Once at a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan.  Cook for 20  minutes.  Once complete, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.  Serve immediately.

 Variations:
Vegetable Rice Pilaf:  Add 1 cup finely chopped onion, 3/4 cup diced carrots, 2/3 cup diced celery,  and 2 cloves minced garlic after adding orzo.  Continue with step 3.  Add diced zucchini or yellow squash after removing rice from heat.  Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  (This will steam the veggies)