Yia Yia's Greek Green Beans (Clean Version)

There have been so many changes in my life since I lost my Yia Yia to Pancreatic Cancer. I've gotten married to a man she would have loved, and had a son who will never know exactly how amazing she was first hand. People say that time heals all wounds, but even all these years later, I find myself sobbing uncontrollably when I think about not having her here.

One thing that I could always count on was that when I went to Yia Yia's house, I was going to eat..and I was going to eat SO GOOD. A Southern Greek woman with kitchen skills that would put any Food Network Chef to shame. There are times when I am feeling a little down, or not feeling well at all and that's when I love to crack open my recipe book and make something that my Yia Yia would have made for me. It makes me feel like maybe she's not so far away..like she never really left at all.

Wasn't she beautiful?

For this cleaned up recipe you will need:

2 to 2.5 Lbs Fresh Green Beans (Cut to about 1 inch long)

1 Large Yellow Onion (Chopped)

1 Tbs. Minced Garlic

1 Tbs. Olive Oil

2-3 Large Tomatoes (Diced and crushed) - Yia Yia used 1 Can of Contadena Crushed Tomatoes

1/2 Tbs. Oregano

2 Bay Leaves

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a medium to large pan, heat up the garlic and onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the onions are more of a clear color and have softened up, add the green beans, oregano, salt and pepper and tomatoes. Mix the ingredients to blend them together and add your bay leaves to the pot. You're going to need to take them out before you eat later so I always try and keep them peeking out just a tad so they are easy to find later. Bring to a low boil then lower the heat to juuuuuust a simmer. Cover and simmer for 45 mins. 

Now, I apologize for the terrible phone picture, but I have been having camera difficulties lately, thus the lag in posts. Things should be up and running again soon though. 

As for nutritional information, please note that this is just an estimate. The nutritional value of your pie will vary depending on the ingredients you choose & portions you add. It should be used as a guide and not a definite. Happy eating loves!

Vegetable Tian

Guys......guys......I've been busy in the kitchen this morning as my two year old is wreaking havoc at my mom's house and my husband is working overtime. I've done research for a few blog posts (that will be coming soon) and was originally going to save this post for another day but it is SO good I can't even...I want to scream it from the top of Mount Rubidoux, but it's hot and I'm too lazy to hike to the top today.

Ah yes! The recipe! Today I decided that since my lovely husband is hard at work on a Saturday bringing home the "bacon" if you will..I would bring him a nice dinner so he didn't have to grab some fast food during his shift. After poking through my fridge I decided I would make some grilled chicken breast with vegetable tian by the fabulous Ina Garten. Now, I've seen many a pin with variations on this dish, but my favorite is just a tad different than the "original" and can be found at For the Love of Cooking.

For this recipe you will need:

• 2tbs of Olive Oil (1 for sautéing & 1 to drizzle on top
• 1/2 Yellow Onion (Diced)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
• 1-2 Russet Potatoes (Unpeeled)
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Squash
• 3 Large Roma Tomatoes
• Sea Salt, Pepper & Thyme to taste
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Mouth watering yet? First step is to dice the onion and sauté it in 1tbs of olive oil for about 8 minutes or until they are transparent. Once they are ready to go, add your two garlic cloves and let it go for another minute or so. Transfer the yummy mix that has certainly made your house smell gloriously nummy to your baking dish. (Make sure to spray some non-stick cooking spray in that bad boy so you can get all of the dish out later.)

The recipe is for one baking dish, but I wanted something more individualized and pretty so I used my little ramekins..because...cute.

                              

While the onions were cooking I was busy slicing up about 1/4 of an inch sections of my veggies. Now, I was just cooking two servings so I used 2 Roma tomatoes, 1 medium zucchini and 1 medium squash. INSTEAD of a few Russet potatoes, I opted to use 1 medium sweet potato. I am OB-sessed with these fantastic sweet and savory yums and they are stinking good for you too! You can learn more about the benefits of sweet potatoes here. But since The sweet potato was a tad large for my ramekins I just laid two slices of it on top of the onion & garlic mixture.

Now you get to assemble the zucchini, squash and tomato in a circular pattern and drizzle that bad boy with your remaining tbs of olive oil.

Don't forget the salt, pepper & thyme!

Cover the dish (or in my case, dishes) with tin foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. After 30-40 minutes remove the tin foil and sprinkle with your 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. *DROOL*

Pop that back in the oven uncovered for another 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Let me take you on a little side trip before the unveiling...I said earlier I decided to make 2 cute ramekins full of tian goodness..remember? WELL..as I took #1 out of the oven (shortly after this photo..)

I DROPPED THE DANG RAMEKIN!!!!! I was so bummed. It was comparable to when a child loses a balloon..

The purest form of heartbreak.

After I wiped my tears and the floor of my kitchen, I pulled the surviving tian out of the oven CAREFULLY and set up a "to-go" dinner for the hubby.

On the menu: Grilled chicken, vegetable tian, honeydew melon, and some clean eating crockpot bread I made this morning.

Hope you like it babe! ;) See you soon!

As for today's workout..It's time to work on these guns!! Head over here to get some!!