Crispy Garlic Green Beans

"It's not easy being green." - Kermit the Frog

These green beans are my favorite french fry alternative. I realize that nothing could truly replace french fries, because really, they’re just a convenient way to get ketchup into our mouths, right? But these green beans come close. I've made them in the oven and on the stove-top, and I prefer stove-top just because it's a little easier to regulate the crunchiness!

Personally, I love these when they are extremely crunchy. The more burnt the better, and that is rare for me to say about food!  You can determine your own crunchiness—the longer you cook them, and the more oil you add, the more crunchy they will be. Try making them a couple different times and taste the difference!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon crushed garlic

2 Tablespoons olive oil

¼ pound of green beans

Salt to taste

Directions:

Step 1: Add oil and garlic to a pan on medium heat. Saute garlic until it is lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Step 2: Slowly stir green beans into the pan, coating each bean with garlic and oil. Fry green beans, flipping frequently.

Step 3: Continue to fry green beans for 10-15 minutes, or until desired crispiness is reached. Add additional olive oil if necessary.

Step 4: Sprinkle with salt and serve hot!

Serves 2-4.

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Made Simple

"To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through: that is what it means to be a nurse." - Rawsi Williams

I'm a nurse, so I work a lot of holidays. About half of them, actually. This year I'm working Thanksgiving. I also recently moved, so instead of doing Thanksgiving "potluck style" like I usually do with my large family back in the midwest, I prepared the whole meal myself! As a result, I didn't make everything from scratch, but I did make a darn good meal. I am calling this my "express" Thanksgiving, because it only took 3 1/2 hours total, and most of that was turkey cook time (and I did all my shopping in the morning before I started cooking!).

Feel free to steal any of my secrets--after all, the point of Thanksgiving isn't to make a bunch of complicated recipes from scratch, but to spend time with people you love. So I'm personally giving you permission to cheat a little this year, and spend more time loving, and less time cooking!

The Turkey

Last year I made my first Thanksgiving turkey, which was a combination of recipe suggestions and tips from family and friends. It was absolutely amazing. It was a little time consuming, but man was it delicious! This year I decided to try something else, and used a turkey bag. It was easier (which is what I wanted), but not nearly as good. If you have the time to baste, and want to make a perfect turkey, follow this recipe. 

The Stuffing

I love how there are so may easy gluten-free options available these days. This year, I tried Glutino's Cornbread Gluten-free Stuffing. It was great! I highly recommend it, especially if you are pressed for time. Otherwise, if you have time to make your own stuffing, here is my personal recipe. I really enjoy changing my recipes up, based on my mood, which is a little more tricky with a box. In general, I prefer using my own recipe and adjusting it, but overall I was impressed with Glutinos and would try it again.

Green Bean Casserole
This has been the hardest recipe for me to "get right." I have adjusted my recipe about six times, and this is the best version. One of the tricks to this casserole, and really almost any casserole, is to let it cool before serving. Otherwise you won't give the casserole time to thicken up. Have your own great green bean casserole recipe? I'd love suggestions!

The Rolls
One of my goals this year is to perfect gluten-free rolls. I'm definitely not there yet. So for Thanksgiving I tried Udis Gluten-Free French Rolls. They were fantastic! They only take 5 minutes to heat up, and they went amazing with my orange marmalade. A simple, yummy add-on to any meal.

Additional Sides
Corn, canned cranberry. Sadly, I didn't make my own mashed potatoes this year. My family recipe is literally the best mashed potatoes you will eat in your life. I will make them and post it eventually, because it is a recipe that has to be shared. This year it was just a matter of time, which is why I bought mashed potatoes from Whole Foods instead. They were divine.

Not pictured: Whole Foods Gluten-Free Apple Pie

Also not pictured: Me drinking a ton of red wine and wearing reindeer antlers while cooking...I wish I was joking.

White Wine Poached Salmon

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” - W. C. Fields

This recipe comes from an elderly gentleman I met at the grocery store while perusing the meat counter. We got to chatting and he started telling me some of his favorite recipes. He said that he’s made salmon this way “for thirty years”—so of course I had to give his suggestion a try! I adapted it just slightly, and it turned out fabulous!

Directions: 

1 fresh salmon filet with skin on one side
1 cup white cooking wine 
1/4 cup gluten-free chicken broth 
2 teaspoons fresh parsley 
1/4 cup olive oil 
2 cloves chopped garlic 
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Step 1: Sautee the garlic and olive oil for 2-4 minutes in large pan. 

Step 2: Add the chicken broth, parsley, salt and pepper, and wine, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. 

Step 3: Add the salmon (make sure the sauce is at a low boil – no spitting) and baste with sauce from the pan. Cook the salmon skin side down, covered on medium-low for 10-12 minutes, basting again half way through. Enjoy! :)

Serves 2. Sides in the picture include garlic roasted green beans and cucumber red pepper quinoa.