2011-12-13

Nutty Green Bean Casserole

Some other things I got from Trader Joe's last week was a big bag of fresh green beans, and a box of shitakki mushrooms.  I have never used shitakki mushrooms in my cooking before, so I thought I would give it a try!  This is yet another recipe from Dr. Fuhrman called: Nutty Green Bean Casserole.  The only differences between the original recipe and mine, is that I halved the recipe.

Nutty Green Bean Cassarole

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed &  sliced on the bias
4 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c raw almonds+ 2 T chopped almonds to top
1/2 c non-dairy milk
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
dash ground black pepper

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Drain beans, and arrange them in a 9x9" casserole dish, sprayed with olive oil.  Water saute the mushrooms and onions until onions are tender.  Add cooked mushrooms and onions on top of the green beans.  In a food processor, blend the remaining ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Pour sauce over beans and mushrooms.  Sprinkle chopped almonds on top of casserole.  Bake uncovered at until bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.  

Amy's notes:  When I blended my cream topping for the casserole, it stayed pretty chunky because my food processor is not the best and/or on it's last leg after blending so much peanut butter last week.  I'd suggest blending it in a blender.  Also, for the next time that I make this, I would add dates to the cream mixture.  It was a sweeter dish altogether, and that would give it even more of a sweet bite.  While not my favorite recipe lately, it is very filling as a main dish, and a good side dish to another plant-based dish.

What is your favorite plant-strong holiday dish?

3 comments:

  1. Blended soups are SO much easier with an immersion blender! I asked for one last Christmas for precisely that reason (especially for the White Bean Rosemary soup in Eat, Drink & Be Vegan), and have never looked back since! Another one of my favorite uses for it is when using leftover grains. For example, one of my favorite ways to use up leftover quinoa is to put some in a small pan, add some almond milk, cinnamon, stevia, chia seeds, etc., and then use my immersion blender to blend it to a creamier consistency. Then heat it up on the stove, and serve for breakfast as a spin on oatmeal. So good, and nothing "gets lost" as it would if I were to do this in a blender and then pour it into the pot.

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  2. Sara, I can't wait to have an immersion blender. I'll probably be using it to make blended soups at least once a week haha. What a great idea for the "oatmeal-like" quinoa! I will definitely have to try that out sometime after the holidays. Would you mind if I referenced your idea on this blog?
    Thanks for reading! -ANK

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  3. Sure, Amy, no problem!

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