Straying from Standard Sides: Sautéed Green Beans & Mushrooms, and Glazed Carrots with Pecans

I took my Christmas tree down while it was still December, but I have yet to finish posting recipes from my Christmas dinner! I’ll finish it off tonight with two sides that I tried. I strayed a bit from traditional sides dishes (think green bean casserole and candied yams), and tried healthier replicas.

For the green beans, I sautéed them in olive oil (versus the traditional casserole recipe that calls for a can of creamy soup). I topped mine with almonds, although you could swap out the almonds and garnish with some French-fried onions, which would be more like the standard version. Instead of baking yams with spices and topping them with pecans and marshmallows, I cooked some carrots with similar spices, and they had the flavor of a pumpkin pie!

Both side dishes were enjoyed by all of us, and also didn’t require any time in the oven. (Oven time is something I’ve learned you have to carefully plan for when you’re turning out multiple dishes and you only have one oven!)

Sautéed Green Beans & Mushrooms
Ingredients
24 oz. frozen green beans, preferably thin French style beans (Kate used Trader Joe's Haricot Verts)
10 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and a mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to slightly brown. Add green beans, 2 tablespoons of water, and cover. Steam until tender. Season with salt and pepper, top with sliced almonds and serve.



Glazed Carrots with Pecans
(Adapted from Sunset, November, 2009)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups diagonally sliced (1/4 in.) peeled carrots
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups toasted pecan halves

Directions
Heat oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and cook, stirring frequently, 6 minutes. Stir in spices and sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Add pecans and cook until carrots are tender when pierced and mixture is glazed in sugar, 5-10 minutes.

Room Service: Kate's 'W' Spiced Nuts

Last year we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary with our first trip to San Francisco. We were guests at the W Hotel, which was a short walk from both the Ferry Building (food market) and Union Square (clothing stores). Yes, my husband planned that one perfectly for me. As soon as we arrive in town we ditched our bags at the hotel and headed straight to Alcatraz. It was a bright and sunny day, and we had clear views of the bridges and the city from Alcatraz. The tour is a self-paced audio tour, which we found to be quite interesting. If you have never been there, I definitely recommend going – especially on a nice day!


We returned to the hotel for a quick change before heading to dinner at Isa, when there was a knock on our door. Room service had brought by a bottle of champagne, a cheese tray, and a card wishing us a happy anniversary! The champagne and cheeses were delicious, but what was particularly delectable were the spiced nuts on the cheese tray. They were sweet with a great spicy kick. The only problem was that there weren’t enough! The next night we found our way to the hotel bar where we were able to order a bowl of them to snack on.


A few weeks after we returned home I set forth to make a similar cocktail nut. They turned out really well and were easy to make. We returned to the W in San Francisco last summer and stopped by the bar just to order the spiced nuts. We were actually disappointed when we tasted them, because as my husband put it, “yours are better than this!”.

I made my spiced nuts for my niece’s birthday party. This recipe makes a large batch, so if you're having a gathering they’ll feed your crowd. If you’re just making them to snack on yourself, be warned because they’re a bit addictive!

Kate’s 'W' Spiced Nuts
Ingredients
12-16 oz. Roasted Almonds
12-16 oz. Roasted & Salted Cashews
12-16 oz. Pecan Halves
12-16 oz. Macadamia Nuts
2 egg whites
½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 250°F. Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk egg whites. Stir in sugar, cayenne pepper, and salt. Add nuts and toss until nuts are coated with egg white mixture.

Arrange nuts in a flat layer on baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, until nuts are golden but not burnt. Allow nuts to cool on baking sheet for 45 minutes, and then use a metal spatula to remove nuts from baking sheet. Break into bite-sized pieces and serve.

A Little Chocolate A Day: Chocolate Chrunch Granola

I don’t think I’ve ever had a “sweet-tooth”, but I have definitely have a chocolate tooth. I’ve loved chocolate for as long as I can remember. I usually pass on desserts unless they include chocolate. (In attempting to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a dessert has to be “worth it” for me to indulge. Chocolate is worth it.)

I find that it’s rare for a day to pass without having a little chocolate. This is mainly because I have found innovative ways to get my chocolate fix without eating a piece of cake or a scoop of ice cream. I regularly enjoy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, but also have found Cooking Light’s Chocolate Crunch to be just what I need. It incorporates oats, dried fruit, and nuts with a little taste of chocolate for a reasonable amount of calories per serving size (168 calories for ½ cup). I’ll take this with me to work or when I’m traveling, and it’s perfect for breakfast or a snack.

Chocolate Crunch
(From Cooking Light, December, 2007)
Ingredients
Cooking spray
3 cups regular oats
1 cup oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70 percent cocoa), finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 300°F.

Cover a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with cooking spray.

Combine oats, rice cereal, brown sugar, chopped pecans, salt, and ground cinnamon in a large bowl.

Combine honey and canola oil in a small saucepan over low heat; cook 2 minutes or until warm. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Pour chocolate mixture over oat mixture. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Gently mix chocolate mixture and oat mixture until combined. Spread oat mixture onto prepared jelly-roll pan. Bake at 300° for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Cool completely on pan; stir in cranberries.

Holiday Hors d'oeuvre: Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts

I promised myself I would post these before the holidays. If you are looking for something for your guests to nibble on before Thanksgiving dinner is ready – these are it! They are also a perfect hors d’oeuvre for any fall or winter gathering, especially for a holiday party. I think it was my sister who first introduced our family to this recipe several years ago, and it quickly became a permanent fixture for our family holiday gatherings.

The recipe calls for cooked sweet potato. I like to roast mine in the oven. Not only does roasting the sweet potato caramelize it, but it also sends a nice aroma throughout your house. (Prick the sweet potatoes with a knife in several places and bake at 400°F in a small baking pan until very tender, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.) If you’re pressed for time, you could always cook it in the microwave. (Pierce each sweet potato a few times with a fork, place in a pie plate with two tablespoons of water, cover loosely with wax paper, and microwave on high for 5 minutes or until tender.) They are so good!

Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts
(From Cooking Light, November, 2005)
Ingredients
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
2 (2.1-ounce) packages mini phyllo shells (such as Athens)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine sweet potato, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt, stirring well.

Combine pecans, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla, and egg white, stirring well.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon sweet potato mixture into each phyllo shell, spreading to edges. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon pecan mixture over sweet potato mixture. Place filled shells on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.