Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic and Parmesan

Roasting is, by far, my favorite way to prepare vegetables. It just seems to intensify the naturally sweet flavors. I was never particularly fond of vegetables, probably because of how I was preparing them. I’d usually boil them, then douse them with butter to kill the taste. Or, I’d buy the boil-in-bag versions swimming in cheese sauce. Since discovering roasting, I’ve developed a new-found love for veggies. And, the best part is – it’s healthy. Roasting vegetables keeps the nutrients intact. Can you beat that? The other day I felt like serving green beans, but I wasn’t sure if they could be roasted or not. So, I searched through my recipe archive and came upon this recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen. Sounded perfect to me. Green beans and mushrooms roasted in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then topped off with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan. Veggies don’t get any better than this!

 

Preheat oven to 450° F. 

I used Baby Bella mushrooms, but any mushroom will work. Wash mushrooms and dry thoroughly. Cut the larger slices of mushrooms in half.

Trim ends of beans and cut beans in half. 

Put beans and mushrooms in large resealable plastic bag.

In small bowl, whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Pour over veggies in bag. Shake and roll bag to fully cover the beans and mushrooms.

Pour veggies onto a large baking sheet, spreading them out, so there is no overlapping or crowding.

Roast for 20 to 30 minutes. Check for doneness after 20 minutes. Beans should be tender-crisp and there should be no liquid from mushrooms in pan.

Season beans with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

ROASTED GREEN BEANS WITH MUSHROOMS, BALSAMIC, AND PARMESAN
Source: Kalyn’s Kitchen
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (any variety will work)
• 1 pound fresh green beans, preferably thin French style beans
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil        
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

              
DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Wash mushrooms and dry thoroughly. Cut the larger slices of mushrooms in
    half.
2. Trim ends of beans and cut beans in half.
3. Put beans and mushrooms in large resealable plastic bag. In small bowl, whisk together olive oil and
    balsamic vinegar. Pour over veggies in bag. Shake and roll bag to fully cover the beans and
    mushrooms.
4. Pour veggies onto a large baking sheet, spreading them out, so there is no overlapping or crowding.
5. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes. Check for doneness after 20 minutes. Beans should be tender-crisp and
    there should be no liquid from mushrooms in pan.
6. Season beans with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
    Serve hot.

Servings: 4

Deconstructed Chicken Kiev

This is a recipe I found on Land O’ Lakes years ago. However, they have since updated the recipe on the web site, to a more modern, stuffed and rolled version, which takes time to prepare, a lot of time. Personally, I prefer the old-fashioned version. You still get all the taste of Chicken Kiev, without all the extra work. As everyone would say now-a-days, “I ain’t got time for that!” How true. If you can take shortcuts and get the same flavors, why bother with a “prettier, hard to execute” version? Mike has always loved this version, so why change what works? The chicken is dipped in butter, breaded with seasoned breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and even more seasoning. It’s baked until golden brown then topped off with a combination of butter, wine, green onions, garlic and parsley. In today’s cooking world, I would call it a “deconstructed” Chicken Kiev (which is exactly what I named it). Same taste, different (much easier) technique. 

Butter is missing from above photo.

Preheat oven to 375° F.  Spray a 15x10x2-inch baking pan (or any pan large enough for chicken breasts) with cooking spray.

Between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, pound chicken breasts thin. Cut each in half (for 6 fillets total).

In large resealable plastic bag, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic salt and salt. Shake well to combine.

Melt butter (in microwave, or small saucepan on stovetop).

Pour bread crumb mixture into pie plate (or breading station plate). Pour melted butter in pie plate (or breading station plate).

Dip chicken breast halves in butter. Roll in breading mixture, pressing to cover thoroughly.

Transfer to baking pan. Sprinkle with additional breading mixture. 

Bake for 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Melt 1/2 cup butter (in microwave, or small saucepan).

In small bowl, combine melted butter, wine, garlic, green onion and dried parsley. Whisk to combine. Spoon over chicken breast halves. (I say spoon, as garlic will sink to bottom and you will get an uneven distribution of ingredients if you try to pour over.)

Return to oven for 5 minutes, or until sauce is hot. 

Garnish with additional green onions, if desired.

DECONSTRUCTED CHICKEN KIEV
Source: Adapted from original Land O’ Lakes recipe
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

 
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts (about 3)

Breading Station 1:

• 1-1/2 cups seasoned (Italian-style) breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Breading Station 2:

• 2/3 cup butter, melted

Topping:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/4 cup white wine (zinfandel recommended), or apple juice
• 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 15x10x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray (or any pan large
    enough for 6 breast halves).
2. Between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, pound breasts thin and cut each in half, for 6 fillets in total.
3. In large resealable plastic bag, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, garlic salt
    and salt. Shake well to combine.
4. Pour breadcrumb mixture in pie plate (or breading station plate). Pour melted butter in another pie
    plate (or breading station plate).
5. Dip chicken in melted butter. Roll in crumbs to coat, pressing down to coat thoroughly. Place in
    prepared baking dish. Sprinkle additional breading mixture over tops of chicken breast halves.
6. Bake for 50 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Combine melted butter, wine, green onion, garlic and dried parsley in small bowl. Whisk well to
    combine. For even distribution, spoon mixture over chicken breast halves.
8. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is hot.
9. Garnish with additional green onions, if desired.