Honey-Balsamic Green Beans

Every year we go to Santa Barbara to my aunt and uncle’s dreamy beach house for Thanksgiving but this year, we are heading to Sonoma County. I’m making a few sides to bring including these green beans from my new Forest Feast Mediterranean cookbook inspired by our time in Sicily.

Honey-Balsamic Green Beans

recipe from The Forest Feast Mediterranean

4 c green beans

2 cloves minced garlic, trimmed & diagonally sliced

1/4 c (35 grams) pomegranate seeds

1/4 cup (30 grams) pistachio seeds, roasted & chopped

Saute on medium heat with 1 T olive oil, plus salt and pepper, for 3-5 minutes or until the beans are bright green. Then add 1 T balsamic vinegar and 1 T honey to the pan and toss until all the beans are glazed. (about 1 min).

Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and the pomegranate seeds and roasted & chopped pistachio seeds.

Max and me in Cefalu, Sicily in 2017 while shooting The Forest Feast Mediterranean cookbook

The rural area of Sicily we visited is known for its honey and pistachio production and these ingredients are used frequently in sweet and savory dishes from the region. I love the added crunch from the pistachios. We visited the snowy volcano peak in the morning and ended the very same day with a sunset walk along the coast in the village of Santa Maria La Scala.

Ezra making a snowball near the top of Mt. Etna, Sicily, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving!

For more vegetarian sides, try my Persimmon Cranberry Sauce, Butternut Hummus & Deviled Eggs , or Nutty Cauliflower Rice Pilaf.

P.S. The Forest Feast Mediterranean is on sale now and makes a great host gift!

Forest Feast Fashion: Floral Dress + Floral Rolls

I’ve got another Forest Feast Fashion pairing for you! Wouldn’t you love to nosh on some Floral Summer Rolls while wearing this lovely floral dress by Sonnet James? I would (ha!)

These rolls are one of my favorite things to eat. (So much in fact that my family has been known to make them for me on my birthday!) They are in my entertaining cookbook, The Forest Feast Gatherings. I can usually find the rice paper wraps at my local grocery store in the “international” aisle. As for edible flowers, I like to grow nasturtium seeds (they are really easy), but you can also find edible flowers at the farmers market and even at the grocery store. (I asked my local grocery store produce department to order them and they arrived next day!) If you can’t find any, you can always decorate the rolls inside with basil leaves, mint leaves, rings of red onion, carrot strips, red bell pepper slices or chopped purple cabbage.

TO MAKE THE ROLLS:

More instructions are on the image below but simply soak the rice paper rounds in water for a minute, lay out on a cutting board, then fill with thinly sliced salad ingredients in the middle of the round. Musts for me are lettuce (crunch!), avocado, red onion and fresh mint. But you can add anything that’s cut up small enough. Fold the ends in and roll up like a burrito!

I recently spent a weekend on a retreat with Whitney, the founder of the dress company Sonnet James. In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I'd share her inspiring story. She started her company on her own as a newly single mother with 2 very young boys.  After they'd go to bed at night, she read business books and taught herself to make patterns and sew. Later, she went door-to-door at factories in San Francisco until she found a place that could ethically produce the dresses for her. Her goal was to make play dresses for moms, and that's just what she does! She started with some Kickstarter money and then a blog post by Design Mom ignited initial orders, but after a recent appearance on Shark Tank, she now works with the investor Sara Blakely of Spanx (another super-inspiring biz-mom!) and her business is thriving. Can't wait to see what's next, Whitney...and I love my new dress, thank you for sending it to me.

Read more about Whitney here.

*Amazon Affiliate links are used in this post and if you purchase via these links, The Forest Feast will earn a small profit.

Roasted Chickpeas

Jeanine and Jack write the beloved (mostly) vegetarian blog, Love & Lemons and their 2nd book just came out! Jeanine used to work as a graphic designer before blogging full-time, and it sure shows. The fonts and graphics in the book are so beautiful!

Their new book, Love & Lemons Every Day : More than 100 Bright, Plant-forward Recipes for Every Meal is exactly how I like to eat. There are so, so many good ideas (Moroccan Spiced Carrot Salad with Lentils! Zucchini Verde Vegan Enchiladas! Sweet Potato Wedges with Farro & Tahini!) , but I chose one of the simplest ones, Roasted Chickpeas, to make this week from the “Homemade Extras” chapter in the back of the book. This recipe has just 3 ingredients, and is easily adaptable. You can include them on the side of a cheese plate in place of nuts, or add them on top of any dish for a little extra protein. I made extra and am keeping them in the fridge to throw on salads all week.

Recipe below…congrats Jack & Jeanine!!

ROASTED CHICKPEAS

shared with permission from Love & Lemons Every Day by Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews

1.5 c cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinches of smoked paprika or chili powder (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chickpeas on the baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkles of salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes, or until crispy. Remove from the oven and toss with the smoked paprika, if using.

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Erin’s notes: I used canned chickpeas to save time and I just used paprika. They also suggest you can toss afterwards with cayenne or curry which I will try next time!

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Disclosure: I was gifted a copy of this book by the authors and their publisher. Thank you! Also–The Forest Feast uses affiliate links and may make a small profit if items are purchased via links on this site.

Everything Bagel Greens

This is my new favorite vegetable side, and it takes less than 5 minutes to make! You can use any type of greens you like (I used collards above) but kale or spinach or chard also work wonderfully. Everything Bagel seasoning can be found at many grocery stores now and has a mixture of garlic, salt and sesame usually. It’s delicious!

EVERYTHING BAGEL GREENS

4 handfuls raw greens (collards, kale, chard, spinach - or a mixture)

About 4 shakes of Everything Bagel seasoning (I found mine at Trader Joe’s)

Olive oil

Add a splash of olive oil to a pan on medium heat. Add the greens and a small splash of water. Add another drizzle of oil on top. Cover with a lid for about a minute. Remove lid and stir, covering again and repeating until they wilt, for 3-5 minutes. Try not to over cook them…once they are bright green and wilted they are done! Turn the heat off and add a few shakes of the Everything Bagel seasoning. remember it has salt in it, so don’t add too much. Stir to combine and serve immediately. Add more seasoning as a garnish if you wish. Serves 2 as a side.

*tip: for a richer flavor, add a bit of butter to the pan as well!

Lentil + Sweet Potato Salad

Because I work from home, I love to have some prepped salads on hand for lunch, so I can grab a healthy bowl and keep working. I made this yesterday and it was super filling and tasty! The added bonus was the sweet cherry tomatoes which came from a friend's garden.

LENTIL + SWEET POTATO SALAD

1 (15 oz) can lentils, drained & rinsed in a strainer

1 small sweet potato, baked for 1 hour at 375˚F (or until soft), then cooled & cubed

1/4 c  diced red onion

1 c cherry tomatoes, halved

For the dressing: 1 t rice vinegar, 1 T olive oil, 1 t Braggs amino acid (or soy sauce), 1 t sesame oil. Add a grind of black pepper before serving.

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy immediately! It also keeps well for a day or 2 in the fridge. Use this as a base and add in what you have on hand! I made a second batch and added chopped radishes which was a tasty, crunchy addition. Other add-in ideas include feta, tofu, pumpkin seeds or fresh cilantro.