green beans – Simply Delicious: The Cookbook Project

1-23: Pita Pockets

Jamie Martin Group 01: Hot & Cold Appetizers, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters September 25, 2022February 19, 2024blue cheese, boiled, Boston lettuce, canola oil, cheese, cooked potatoes, cucumbers, diced, Dijon mustard, dressing, dried herbs, easy, eggs, filling, fish, garlic, Greek yogurt, green beans, green onions, hard-boiled, herb salt, herbs and spices, hot dogs, iceberg lettuce, inexpensive, julienned, lettuce, lunch, minced, olive oil, oregano, party food, picnic, pita bread, potatoes, Romaine lettuce, salt, sandwiches, sausage, scallions, seafood, sliced, smoked ham, sunflower oil, tomatoes, tuna, untested, vegetable oil, vegetarian, vinegar, yellow mustard, yogurt

Today, I have the last unmade Group 01 recipe in my possession to share with you today, 1-23: Pita Pockets. They’re essentially sandwiches with two sorts of filling, both very 1980s/”light”.

One of my favorite restaurants is called Pita Pockets–I’ve been going there since I was in high school (over 20 years…eeek) and it’s one of the places I try to stop at when I find myself back in Southern California. Their pita sandwiches are very different from what we’ve got here today (and theirs are WAY better).

I remember pitas being a big deal in the 1980s-1990s, so it’s not surprising that they were included in this recipe collection. They’re still super popular today, but they’re not as “new” of a concept. Speaking of new, this one came from the NEW book, hence why I wasn’t aware until relatively recently that Simply Delicious even had a pita sandwich recipe.

13-22: Green Bean Pilaf

Jamie Martin Group 13: Vegetarian Dishes, Section 2: Main Courses October 28, 2021November 29, 2021black pepper, blanched, brown rice, butter, chicken bouillon, chicken broth, chopped, dairy-free, dinner, dried herbs, easy, egg-free, fairly inexpensive, folded, gluten-free, green beans, mushrooms, new book, pilaf, rice, salt, sautéed, side dish, simmered, tarragon, tender-crisp, untested, vegan, vegetable bouillon, vegetable broth, vegetables, vegetarian, yellow onions

Well, hello there. So it’s been a while, and my first recipe back is…rice with green beans? No wonder it took me so long to get back into this.

13-22: Green Bean Pilaf is exactly what it sounds like–a rice side dish with green beans that you could serve next to some sort of (presumably meat-based) main dish. It’s advertised as being vegetarian, but I feel that’s just by “default” since there’s no chunks of visible meat in it.

Man, does Simply Delicious enjoy their tarragon. It doesn’t seem like tarragon is super popular in modern dishes–is that because it’s not useful or because we don’t think of it as a relevant ingredient? Deep herb-related thoughts to consider on this Thursday afternoon. 🤔

2-16: Roast Beef Salad with Beans

Jamie Martin Group 02: Salads, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters October 3, 2020October 12, 2020apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, beef, black pepper, chilled, dairy-free, dressing, easy, egg-free, emulsion, fairly inexpensive, garnish, gluten-free, green beans, lettuce, marinated, olive oil, parsley, pearl onions, roast beef, salads, salt, sliced, string beans, tarragon, tomatoes, untested, vinegar, white beans, white wine vinegar

In case you hadn’t had enough of weird bean salads with 2-19: Country Bean Salad, I present to you its estranged cousin, 2-16: Roast Beef Salad with Beans.

RIP buffet luncheons (and large groups). Although if this is what’s on the menu, I’d have passed on it anyway.

2-19: Country Bean Salad

Jamie Martin Group 02: Salads, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters September 27, 2020November 14, 2020beets, black olives, country-style, dairy-free, dried herbs, easy, egg-free, French, garlic, gluten-free, green beans, herbes de Provence, herbs and spices, inexpensive, julienned, lemon juice, lunch, minced, olive oil, parsley, salads, string beans, untested, vegan, vegetarian, yellow onions

I had intended on using the entry for 2-19: Country Bean Salad to make the tired joke about how no one likes bean salad or the person who brings it to a party. And to point out how it was always a skip for me at the salad bar (RIP salad bars/buffets, I will REALLY miss you).

But there’s got to be a reason why “bean salad” is still a thing. Someone must still like it, for it still to exist. And not just in an ironic hipster “I like it specifically because it’s uncool” way. Maybe the vegans? I eat mostly vegan, and it’s still a no-go for me.

Simply Delicious says that this particular variation of bean salad is “typically French”, but I can’t find too many references online that specifically corroborate that claim. I did find a fancy version of this dish done by one of the Top Chefs that might be worth looking at, if you’re interested in bringing this recipe into the 21st century.

Apparently it was part of a particularly infamous (red) wedding meal in Game of Thrones as well. I watched GoT, but the food on the table wasn’t exactly the focus of that scene, so I must have missed it.

Even if it’s been on TV, it’s still not that appetizing to me. But again: someone must be into this stuff, so if it’s you, read on.

2-3: Salad Niçoise

Jamie Martin Group 02: Salads, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters July 27, 2020November 24, 2020anchovies, black olives, black pepper, capers, chilled, dairy-free, dressing, eggs, emulsion, fish, flaked, French, garlic, garnish, gluten-free, green beans, minced, olive oil, peeled, potatoes, Romaine lettuce, salads, salt, seafood, sliced, summer, tuna, vinegar, white wine vinegar

Salads are usually a good choice when it’s hot out, and since we’re currently in the middle of summer (here in the U.S.), 2-3: Salad Niçoise (pronounced nee-swah) might be a good choice for an upcoming meal. Plus, it primarily uses readily-available canned/jarred ingredients, which can be helpful for both budgets and pandemic shopping.

Salade niçoise is a well-known dish (like the last recipe I covered, 14-8: Baked Alaska), and there are many different versions of it out there. Even Simply Delicious alludes to the different variations in their blurb above– although what they insist as a “must” (eggs, tuna, olives) seems to be up to interpretation.

10-1: Springtime Lamb Stew

Adam Martin Group 10: Lamb & Veal, Section 2: Main Courses November 29, 2016October 27, 2020all-purpose flour, boiled, bone-in, boneless, butter, carrots, dinner, Dutch oven, easy, fairly inexpensive, French, green beans, herbs and spices, lamb shoulder, lunch, parsley, peeled, potatoes, Provençale, red potatoes, salt, sautéed, seared, simmered, sliced, spring, stews, sweet peas, tender-crisp, thyme, untested, vegetables, white wine, yellow onions, zucchini

Stew happens to be one of my favorite dishes. 😍 It contains all the things I really enjoy: tender meat, vegetables, and gravy. That being said, even though it’s the opposite of springtime right now, 10-1: Springtime Lamb Stew was right up my alley.

I’ve never been to the Provence region of France to try this style of cooking in it’s natural habitat, so learn more from someone who has.

13-14: Wok-Fried Veggies with Pasta

Adam Martin Group 13: Vegetarian Dishes, Section 2: Main Courses October 13, 2016October 28, 2020al dente, apple cider vinegar, apple juice, boiled, canola oil, carrots, chili powder, dairy-free, dinner, dressing, easy, egg-free, ginger, green beans, green onions, herbs and spices, honey, inexpensive, julienned, leeks, lunch, olive oil, pan-fried, pared, party food, pasta/noodles, peeled, red bell peppers, rice vinegar, salt, sautéed, sesame oil, side dish, sliced, stir-fry, tender-crisp, untested, vegetables, vegetarian, vinegar, wok, yellow bell peppers, zucchini

13-14: Wok-Fried Veggies with Pasta is yet another dish where the preparation requires too much chopping. One of my specialties happens to be stir-fry. I can make stir-fry with the best of them.

I’ve made wok fried dishes similar to this on my own, but with chicken or beef. Usually, I think vegetarian food is best left to the rabbits. 🐰

7-14: Easy-to-Make Pork Casserole

Jamie Martin Group 07: Pork, Section 2: Main Courses June 29, 2016June 18, 20204-92 week, almonds, beef bouillon, beef broth, black pepper, boneless, butter, casserole, celery, chicken, chopped, cubed, dinner, easy, egg-free, fairly inexpensive, ginger, green beans, green onions, ham, herbs and spices, Hutton house, lunch, melted, pork, pork shoulder, revisited, salt, sautéed, scallions, soy sauce, toasted, vegetables, yellow onions

I think Simply Delicious was aimed at the working-mom demographic primarily–a lot of the recipes focus on easy weeknight meals just as much as the fancy dinner party options. 7-14: Easy-to-Make Pork Casserole is a casserole in the sense of a casserole being a bunch of random stuff thrown together in a vessel and then heated.

Casseroles are typically defined as the traditional green bean or tuna types that we (by that I mean mostly Americans) associate with that word. This dish is a loose mixing of vegetables and pork cubes, and is honestly much more reminiscent of 7-55: Sunday Pork Stew than of “casserole”. My mom seemed to like it though, when she made it back in April of 1992.

4-34: Italian Roasted Vegetables

Jamie Martin Group 04: Potatoes & Vegetables, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters May 14, 2016October 13, 2020appetizers, asparagus, black pepper, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, dairy-free, dinner, easy, egg-free, eggplant, favorites, gluten-free, green beans, green bell peppers, herbs and spices, hors d'oeuvres, Hutton house, inexpensive, Italian, lunch, mushrooms, olive oil, pared, party food, red bell peppers, revisited, roasted, Rozie house, salt, side dish, snacks, tender-crisp, Thanksgiving, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, yellow bell peppers, zucchini

This one’s short and sweet. I’ve made 4-34: Italian Roasted Vegetables a few times before, once as part of a big dinner party I cooked for when I was about 13 (6-22: Crispy Chicken Drumsticks and 9-20: Meat Roly-Poly were part of that as well) and Thanksgiving 2000 based on my mother’s notations on the back of the card. I know I’ve used the concept multiple times in other instances, even if I wasn’t following this exact recipe.

This is more a method than a particular recipe–you can use pretty much whatever vegetables you want with this one. Now’s a perfect time for this recipe–farmer’s markets are open and there’s lots of good stuff out there to roast. 🔥

4-2: Green Beans with Hazelnut Butter

Jamie Martin Group 04: Potatoes & Vegetables, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters September 15, 2015April 13, 20204-6-09 dinner, blanched, butter, cilantro, dinner, easy, fairly inexpensive, favorites, green beans, hazelnuts, Italian parsley, lemon juice, lemons, lunch, melted, nuts, parsley, pecans, revisited, roach motel apt, salt, sautéed, side dish, snipped, string beans, sweet butter, tender-crisp, vegetables, vegetarian, walnuts

This recipe, 4-2: Green Beans with Hazelnut Butter along with 7-55: Sunday Pork Stew and 4-4: Scalloped Parsley Potatoes were my first attempt at trying to do 3 of these entry recipes at once. It ended up being harder to do than I thought.

One I’ve made before, about 6 years ago along with 6-40: Peppercorn Chicken Breasts and some other ones. I really like this technique/flavor profile–I use it a lot, even when I’m not documenting it for the Internet.

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