Tag: green beans

Crunchy Shriveled Green Beans

I first tried the South Beach Diet a couple of years ago while working for an ecommerce company. My colleague, Chumie, watched as I struggled to get through the first Phase of the diet. After completing it successfully and losing ample weight, Chumie decided to try out the diet for herself. So there we were, eating hard boiled eggs and avocados, and it wasn’t Pesach :)

One day, Chumie shared this easy recipe for shriveled up green beans. I couldnt imagine why anyone would want to shrivel up perfectly fresh, crunchy beans, but I decided to give it a try and boy am I glad I did. The green beans turned out chewy and crunchy, with a few prized crispy ones around the edges of the pan.

Recently, I joined my husband for lunch at a cafe near his office. With my diet in mind, I ordered grilled salmon with a side of green beans. I was super excited to see that the green beans were shriveled, but my excitement soon turned to dissapointment when I tasted the soggy mess. The key to crispy shriveled green beans is baking them uncovered for a long period of time. Covering them builds up steam causing them to become soft.

When I got home, I couldn’t wait to revisit this quick and easy recipe. They were even better than I remembered. So, when the hard boiled eggs and avocado get the best of you, go ahead and give them a try!

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Salad Nicoise


I love the idea of layered salads. Anything goes and people can pick and choose what they want. It’s almost like a “create your own salad bar” on a platter. It makes for a great Shalosh Seudos dish because you can use up whatever you have left from your meal. If you only used half the container of cherry tomatoes, throw them in. Leftover egg salad? Put a nice scoop in place of the hard boiled eggs. Potato salad can take the place of potatoes. And just about any vegetable makes the cut. Grilled veggies work well too. Plating the salad this way gives it a fresh and clean appearance, even if you are using the leftovers from your meal.

One of my favorite veggies in a classic Nicoise salad is the baby red potatoes. But I can’t deny that those carb-filled delights pack on the pounds. Instead, I use sweet potatoes, their lower-GI cousin, for added color and sweetness.

In terms of tuna, a lot of people like to use oil-packed in this salad because it is less dry. I prefer packed in water because it is obviously much lower in fat. You can also grill up some tuna steaks before shabbos, bring them to room temperature, and serve a la’ classic.

In terms of veggies, I have seen so many variations used in this salad, just about anything goes. Here are some suggestions (I’m starring all the must-have ingredients, everything else is optional):

*greens (Bibb, Boston, Butter or Romaine lettuce, mesclun, spinach)
*green beans
*olives (black [nicoise preferred] or green)
*hard-boiled eggs
*tuna (canned or fresh, or for a twist, use salmon)
*potatoes (red skinned or sweet)
*onions (red onion, shallots, chives, or scallions)
*tomatoes (any type)
anchovies (classic to salad nicoise, although I leave them out)
capers
cucumbers
avocado
peppers
mushrooms
radishes
kohlrabi
hearts of palm
shredded carrots
beans (white beans, edamame)
pasta (shells, macaroni, rotini)
feta cheese
shredded cheese
parsley

If you leave the classic ingredients intact, you can still call it a salad nicoise, albeit nontraditional. You can also opt for a layered salad with no rules whatsoever. Just imagine your typical salad bar and layer it onto a big serving platter.

So instead of just serving up leftovers this week, try and re-purpose what you’ve got in a fresh way. It is guaranteed to appeal to everyone at the table! Serve with different types of crackers for a complete meal.


Another version of salad nicoise.

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