Sprouted Mung Bean 3 Bean Salad (making it a 4 bean salad)

Everybody does recipes nowadays and Yoga Journal gets the props for this recipe. I like the good old fashioned 3 bean salad. I've always thought of it as an Italian American dish since I learned how to make it from my father, but I guess it has merged into the larger American culture. That's a good thing in my opinion because this 4 bean salad is a nice change of pace with the vinaigrette dressing and the sprouts. 

Ingredients

1 cup sprouted mung beans
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp minced fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 lb fresh green beans
1 can red beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Sprout in advance

Sprout mung beans following directions here. (The website is missing the link. I was able to buy sprouted beans from a grocery store called Sprouts.)

2. Make dressing

Whisk together oil, lemon juice, and mustard until creamy. Add minced tarragon, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Prepare salad

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; blanch green beans for 1-2 minutes. Dunk in a bowl of ice water to cool; drain, chop into short lengths, and place in a serving bowl. Add sprouted mung beans, red beans, chickpeas, and scallions. Dress, season with salt and pepper, and toss to mix. Chill in the refrigerator. Just before serving, gently fold in tomatoes and feta.

Rosemary Chicken (Kotopoulo me Dendrolivano)

This recipe comes from Saveur magazine. I liked the name and it turned out pretty good. It didn't have as strong a rosemary vibe as I had hoped, but it was tasty and the chicken was cooked perfectly.

SERVES 2–4

INGREDIENTS
4 whole skin-on chicken legs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup flour, for dredging
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup white wine
1 1/2 c water
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 fresh bay leaves
Juice of 1 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 425˚. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Put flour on a plate and dredge chicken in flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add wine, rosemary, and bay leaves. Return pan to heat and cook until wine reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add 1½ cups water and bring to a boil.

2. Cover skillet, transfer to oven, and cook until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover and let chicken skin crisp, 5 minutes. Remove chicken from the oven; stir in lemon juice. Serve chicken with the pan sauce.

Best Pesto I've Ever Made

I have posted pesto recipes before but honestly this is the best version. It started with the base pesto recipe I have used for years, but the ratios have been adjusted and the secret step has been added. I read a pesto recipe in Saveur magazine which calls for the basil to be blanched and then shocked in ice water. Wow! What a difference. Sometimes basil has a bitter vibe to it and the blanching smoothes that out plus it turns the basil a nice vibrant green color. That vibrance makes the pesto look better and much more professional.

This recipe makes a really good amount for 1 lb. of pasta - approximately 1 1/2 cups. Pesto goes best with short pastas like penne, ziti, rotini, orecchiette, etc.

Ingredients

4 oz basil - 6 2/3 oz packages - remove the large stems

1/2 c pine nuts lightly toasted

1/2 c olive oil

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

1-2 garlic cloves

Salt

Blanch the basil briefly in boiling water just until it turns bright green and then shock in ice water. Gently squeeze out some excess water.

Mix all ingredients in a food processor and process till a paste forms. Blend to desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

3 Ingredient Salsa

Reblog of a reblog. :) Joanna Goddard posted this recipe created by Lisa Fain in her blog A Cup of Jo. While I think Joanna waxes strong with her headline (The Best Salsa You'll Ever Have), it is definitely a good quality salsa. And it's so easy to make. Roast some tomatoes and jalapeños and blend. Woohoo!

Yield: About 1 1/2 cups salsa

1 pound plum or roma tomatoes, stemmed and cut in half

1 or 2 jalapeños (depending on how hot you want the salsa), stemmed and cut in half

2 cloves garlic, peeled

Salt and pepper, to taste

Turn on your broiler and place a rack five inches away from the heating element. Line a skillet or baking sheet with foil and place the tomatoes, jalapeño halves and garlic on the skillet; season with salt. Cook under the broiler for five minutes (this, and all broiling steps, took much longer in my weak oven), or until the jalapeño and garlic have brown spots. Remove the jalapeño and garlic from the skillet and place in a blender.

Meanwhile, return the skillet to the oven and continue to broil the tomatoes for five more minutes, or until they have browned on top. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and add them to the blender, also pouring into the blender any juices that may be in the skillet. Begin to pulse on a low speed until the salsa reaches your desired texture; I usually add about 2 tablespoons water to loosen mine — you may need up to 1/4 cup, or more, for a thinner salsa. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Eat with everything.

Fudgesicles!

Lisa Turner gets the credit for this recipe at the Healthy Gourmet. It's a really nice recipe and so unexpected. The mixture tastes almost like pudding before freezing and still has an avocado flavor. Once frozen, you really can't tell - it surprised me. I also love the fact that the recipe uses honey instead of sugar.

It made only 4 popsicles for me. Because of the leftover coconut milk, I could make 2 more popsicles with an additional avocado and the appropriate amount of the other ingredients.

Ingredients

2 small avocados

1 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup raw, unfiltered honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Halve avocados lengthwise and remove seed. Scoop flesh into a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth and creamy.

2. Transfer mixture to a popsicle tray, and insert sticks. Freeze for 2 hours or overnight.

3. Unmold and serve!