Not your Mama's Green Bean Casserole!

Here's a great twist on serving green beans for Thanksgiving. Gone are the days of Cream of Mushroom Soup and Fried Onion...bring on the bacon instead!!!!

 

Balsamic Green Beans with Pancetta

1 cup pancetta, diced

12 ounce green beans

2 teaspoons Wildtree Garlic & Herb Blend

¼ cup Wildtree Flavored Balsamic Vinegar

 

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sauté until browned. Drain off most of the grease; leave a small amount for sauteing the green beans. Meanwhile blanch the green beans in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and add green beans to the skillet with the pancetta. Season with the Garlic & Herb Blend; sauté for 1 minute. Add the Balsamic Vinegar; continue cooking until most of the vinegar is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

 

To order your Wildtree flavored vinegars or Garlic & Herb Blend please go to www.jenwarr.mywildtree.com.

 

Baked Green Bean Fries with Garlic Aioli

 

Baked Green Bean Fries with Garlic Aioli

2 eggs

1 cup Italian style bread crumbs

8 ounces French green beans (Haricot Verts)

2 tablespoons light sour cream

2 tablespoons light mayo

2 teaspoons Wildtree Garlic Galore Seasoning Blend

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the two eggs in a bowl. In a separate bowl add the bread crumbs. Dip the green beans in the egg, coat in the breadcrumbs, and place on the parchment line baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden and green beans are tender. While the green beans are baking, mix together the remaining ingredients. Serve as a dipping sauce with the green bean fries.

 

To order your Wildtree pantry ingredients so you can make this yummy dish, please go to www.jenwarr.mywildtree.com.

Everything's Betta with Bacon!

My son has a saying, "Everything's betta with butta...and bacon!"

And I couldn't agree more! The bacon we eat is always nitrate free and I try to make sure the chicken I cook with is free range. Why? One reason is because I want to make sure my family is getting enough Vitamin D. Vitamin D? From chickens? Yes...Did you know that "part of the reason we are all lacking in Vitamin D is because we do not eat animals that were raised in the sun?" Learn more here from the Nourished Kitchen, one of my favorite blogs!

Now on to dinner...I made this delicious recipe from The Nourished Kitchen's guest post from Brenda at the Well Fed Homestead.

Bacon, Chicken and Green Beans
Ingredients

1 pound bacon, chopped

1/4 cup butter or ghee, optional

2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

24 ounces frozen green beans

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup full fat coconut milk

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, cook bacon and set aside on paper towels.
2. Cook chicken in remaining bacon grease. Add butter to the pan if there is not enough grease.  Add garlic and onions and reduce heat to medium, stirring until the garlic and onions are tender.  Add in green beans, and cooked bacon, cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Stir in cheese and coconut milk until mixed well.

Roasted Maple-Mustard Green Beans

This is an amazing recipe I borrowed from my neighbor, Laura. She is a fantastic, healthy cook and this side dish was amazing!

Roasted Maple-Mustard Green Beans

Serves 4

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Wildtree's Whole Grain Thyme Mustard

pinch cayenne pepper

1 pound green beans , stem ends snapped off

2 medium carrots , peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 tablespoon Wildtree's Garlic GSO

Sea salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine maple syrup, mustards, and cayenne in small bowl.

2. Arrange beans and carrots on a Large Bar Pan (or aluminum foil lined baking sheet). Drizzle with oil; using hands, toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, toss to coat, and distribute in even layer. Roast 10 minutes.

3. Remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, coat beans and carrots evenly with maple-mustard mixture; redistribute in even layer. Continue roasting until carrots and beans are dark golden brown in spots and beans are starting to shrivel, 10 to 12 minutes longer.

4. Adjust seasoning with salt and toss well to combine. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.