I admit, I can be a foodie brat sometimes.  And the fact that I don’t eat wheat, factory farm animals and processed foods make it all the more difficult to please me.

So fresh and clean tasting, you can serve at room temperature with rice on a hot summer day or serve warm with crusty bread on a chilly night
Adapted from The Turkish Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 Onion Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves
2 T Olive Oil
1 1/4 lb Green Beans
1 T Sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
14 oz can chopped tomatoes
Handful of fresh Dill, roughly chopped
Salt and Pepper

In a large sauce pan, cook the onions, garlic, and oil over low heat until softened
Toss in the Green Beans, coating them in the onions and oil
Add the sugar and lemon juice
Add the tomatoes to the pan and bring to a boil
Lower the heat and add the dill
Cook for 35-40 minutes, or until beans are cooked and sauce is thick
Season with salt and pepper

Adapted from the Sultan’s Kitchen
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 onion chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Large tomatoes, diced
2 T tomato paste
1 1/2 cups white beans
4 cups vegetable broth
1 carrot diced
1 celery diced
1 t red pepper flakes (I add more- I love spice!)
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup Parsley

In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil and butter
Cook the onion until softened, about 2-5 minutes, add the garlic
Add tomatoes, paste, and beans
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes
Add the carrot, celery, and red pepper
Cook for another 15 minutes or until the veggies are cooked
Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley

This recipe was adapted from a cookbook written by a Greek woman living on the island that does just about everything…. from wedding planning, dance lessons, ceramic classes, hike tours and cooking classes.  The cookbook is not very specific with ingredient measurements and cooking times… which just goes to prove the easy-going, laid-back mentality of the Greeks :o)

Ingredients:
1 part chickpeas
1/2 part potatoes, boiled and peeled
1/2 part onions chopped
Parsley, dill, marjoram, mint
2 garlic
Red wine to kneed
Flour to roll in and oil to fry

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a blender
Put into a large bowl
Add a little wine at a time and kneed to combine
Roll about 1 heaping tablespoon
Roll in flour
Set aside
Fry about 5 at a time in oil
Drain on paper towels

I have started making curry daily for lunch AND/or dinner.  I have discovered that using almond milk, as oppose to coconut milk, gives the nice creamy texture without all the fat that comes with coconut milk.

The vegetable, grain and protein combinations here are endless.  Really, once you get the hang of making it, you can pretty much use a combination of whatever is in your fridge and pantry to make a wonderful curry.
I will give the recipe for this combo because I happened to photograph it, but I’ve made many and will list other possible combinations below

Serves 2
Ingredients:
3/4 – 1 cup of a cooked grain (use your Basic Grain recipe that you should always have ready and on hand)
2 T Thai Curry Paste (red or green)
Handful of edamame beans
Handful of Snap Peas, cut crosswise
Handful of Cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 Baby Bok Choy, roughly chopped
2 Cups Almond Milk or one can Coconut milk

In a sauce pan, combine your grain, beans and peas, curry paste and about 2 T milk.
Saute for awhile so the vegetables really get a chance to cook in the curry and absorb the flavors
Add the remaining milk and bok choy
Simmer partial covered for a few minutes or until vegetables have reached desired tenderness

e pan, bring to a boil