Garlic Green Beans with Crispy Prosciutto

I'm part of a supper club here in San Diego that gets together once a month. It's pretty much just a group of girls that all went to college together, that decided it would be fun to get together once a month and make new dishes to share with each other. For last weeks supper club, we decided to make extra indulgent dishes, like grown up macaroni and cheese, and cheddar and chive biscuits (just to name a few). So naturally, I decided to make my family's green bean recipe, spruced up a bit.



My family started making this recipe years ago for holiday meals at my grandma's house. In fact, I don't even remember when they started making it. The green beans are so simple and so delicious. My husband, who doesn't even like green beans, likes these. I mean, they're sauteed in garlic and butter and topped with pork, who wouldn't like them?




I changed the recipe up a bit, to add my own little touch. Normally, my parents add bacon bits to the sauteed green beans. I thought crispy prosciutto sounded better. I also used freshly chopped garlic and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top. Served with mashed potatoes or creamy polenta, these green beans won't disappoint.

In this particular recipe I use frozen green beans. You could definitely use fresh green beans, however you will need to add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan while the green beans are steaming (to prevent burning).



Ingredients: (serves 4)

4 cups frozen organic green beans
4 pieces of prosciutto, diced
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large sautee pan on medium low heat, add olive oil and chopped proscuitto. Cook until proscuitto is crispy, moving proscuitto bits around pan so they don't burn. Remove prosciutto bits from pan and set aside.

Return pan to heat and add butter and frozen green beans. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic granules. Cover with a lid and allow to steam for 3-4 minutes. Remove lid and mix green beans around. Cover with lid and repeat until green beans are cooked through, but al dente.

Once green beans are al dente, add minced garlic and sautee for another minute or two, or until the garlic is fragrant. Transfer to serving dish and top with crispy prosciutto and parmesan cheese.

Broccoli Soup (Vegan Option)

I love broccoli, a lot.

I also love broccoli cheese soup, a lot.

However, it's not exactly healthy when there's a half cup of butter and a cup of cream in one bowl of soup. So I came up with this healthier version. When I made it I decided to use vegetable broth, because I was feeling really healthy. But I soon realized I don't really like vegetable broth. It has a slight, but distinct celery flavor, and for those that know me well, celery is my most hated food. It's weird I know, I really just can't even stand the smell of it.

Anyways, the vegetable broth option is the vegan option, but if you're going for flavor, I'd go with chicken broth. I also added fresh spinach in to give it an extra kick of nutrients. The soup was delicious, nonetheless, and I garnished mine with avocado chunks and cheddar cheese. I also ate it with a side of Cheesy Jalapeño Beer Bread

And if you're wanting full flavor, cheesy, creamy, broccoli soup...I'd say add in the half and half at the end. It's not too much, but just enough to give it that extra depth of flavor.




Ingredients:

12 oz. organic broccoli florets
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 liter of organic vegetable broth OR chicken broth (GF)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of raw organic spinach
1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 cup half and half (optional)

 In a pot, sautee onions with oil on medium heat, until translucent. Add minced garlic and sautee for one more minute, but be sure not to let the garlic burn. Add broccoli and broth and allow pot to simmer for ten minutes, or until broccoli is tender but not overcooked. Remove pot from stove and allow to cool. Once the soup has cooled, blend soup with the raw spinach in a blender, or with an emersion blender, until smooth. If you would like a "creamier" vegan version, you can blend an avocado with the soup.

Return soup to pot and heat, serves 2-4 people.

For the non-vegan recipe you can add 1/2 cup half and half and half cup cheese while re-heating. Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with extra cheddar cheese.

Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs (GF)

This is one of my go-to comfort food meals, and the best part: it's super healthy. It's so delicious that my husband (the man who doesn't eat healthy foods) loves it. This could fool even the most skeptical critic. The marinara sauce covers the taste of the spaghetti squash so that it tastes exactly like pasta. One of my favorite secrets to making jarred spaghetti sauce taste better is to add a splash of red wine while heating it on the stove. Then I toss it on the spaghetti squash, throw some mozzarella cheese on top, and bake it in the oven so it's cheesy and delicious. The best part is that you can save half the meatballs for another meal later on in the week, like Italian Wedding Soup or as meat in greek gyros.


 


Ingredients:

 FOR MEATBALLS:

1 package lean ground turkey (20 oz.)
2 egg whites 2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup finely diced white onion (I used 1 tsp. onion powder because the husband hates onions)
1 tbsp. fresh chopped basil (you can use dried if you like)
1 tsp. garlic granules
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
dash of cayenne or red pepper flakes

1 whole spaghetti squash
1 jar of organic spaghetti sauce (homemade recipe coming soon)
1/4-1/2 cup fresh cubed or grated mozzarella cheese

 Whisk egg whites and chopped garlic together in a bowl and allow to sit for 15 minutes. In another bowl add turkey, parmesan cheese, almond meal, onion, basil, garlic granules, salt, pepper, cayenne, and egg mixture. Gently mix until just incorporated (you may have to use your hands). Be careful not to over mix, you don't want the turkey to be tough after cooked. You can also add more almond meal if the mixture is too wet.

Roll turkey into 1 1/2 inch balls and set in fridge for an hour. (I do this to allow the ingredients to stick together better, though it's not necessary).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully cut spaghetti squash in half, drizzle with olive oil or spray with cooking spray, place on baking sheet (cut side facing down), and bake for 30 minutes or until it's tender. Remove and allow to cool.

When the meatballs have set for an hour, cook them on medium heat in a sauté pan, turning every minute or so to ensure that all sides get brown. This should take about 15 minutes or so.

Once the meatballs are cooked through, carefully (and on low heat, to avoid splatter) add the spaghetti sauce, making sure to scrape up any turkey bits from the bottom of the pan - this will make the sauce even tastier. Then, take a fork to the spaghetti squash and scrape away the insides. The squash will start to come apart, thus looking like "spaghetti noodles".

Place the squash noodles in a baking dish, and top with the meatballs and spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese (maybe even more parmesan and basil!) and bake at 400 until cheese is melted.