Recipe: Sweet Maple Green Beans

Mmmmm...few summer vegetables are more delicious and healthy than fresh green beans. They're also easy to grow, so if you've got a hankering to try your hand at gardening, green beans are a great place to start!

This recipe makes a special treat out of green beans that the kids will absolutely love. Sautéing green beans in butter and maple syrup makes them tender, sweet and delicious.

Sweet Maple Green Beans

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

2 cups green beans
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Salt and pepper

Directions: 

• Steam green beans until starting to soften. 
• Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. 
• Add the maple syrup and green beans saute for a few minutes. 
• Add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
• Makes a great side dish for a potluck or barbecue!

Recipe: Warm Asparagus Spears with Pine Nuts

Nothing says spring like asparagus! Fresh from the garden, it's a true spring treat that is unlike anything else. Cooking it, however, can be tricky. The best way to do it is to keep it simple and let the unique flavor of the vegetable shine through.

Tender, but not overcooked asparagus is often a fine art. In these recipe, we steam the asparagus lightly before sautéing it with red wine vinegar. The final touch is chopped pine nuts sprinkled on top. Just a little goes a long way. This makes a great vegetarian side dish. If you're an Ovo-Lacto vegetarian, you can also vary the dish by adding a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese at the end.

Warm Asparagus Spears with Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Chopped pine nuts

Directions:

• Cut or snap off the tougher ends of the asparagus stems and steam the spears for about 3 minutes.
• After the asparagus has steamed, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the red wine vinegar and asparagus and sauté for about 2 minutes. 
• When the asparagus starts to brown slightly it’s ready. 
• Season it with salt and pepper and topped with chopped pine nuts.

Recipe - Vegetarian Stroganoff

Here's one for you vegetarians who miss the taste of a delicious stroganoff, but want to avoid meat. Or for those who like to skip the meat once a week or so, or if you're just looking to bring a vegetarian side dish to a potluck, this is a tasty variation you may enjoy.

Vegetarian Stroganoff
(Serves 4)

Sautéing Mushrooms (Photo credit: Leptonist)Ingredients:
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb mushrooms of your choice, chopped
½ cup white wine
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp natural yogurt or sour cream (if you're a vegan, you can also substitute some of the new vegan yogurts that are now available)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

• Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and sauté the onion until almost cooked. Then add the garlic and stir for a few minutes. 
• Increase the heat and add the mushrooms. 
• Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with paprika. 
• Sauté until the mushrooms are tender and brown. 
• Pour in the wine and vinegar. Stir well. 
• Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for a few minutes. 
• Stir in the yogurt and cilantro and adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Video - Cajun Cooking - The Holy Trinity

Here is a Cajun cooking video describing the "holy trinity" of ingredients - he shows some good chopping techniques, and the proper ratio of these important ingredients for most Cajun dishes, as well as making a good vegetable stock, and some sauteing tips.

If you want to try Cajun cooking yourself, this is a great beginner's video to help learn some simple tips that will yield you some tasty results!

Cajun Easy Cooking - "Cajun Holy Trinity"
This is a fun cooking video that is the first episode in a planned series of the soon to be famous hit internet series, Cajun Easy Cooking. For home chefs and amateur cooks who want to experience the tastes and styles of Cajun cuisine, Cajun Easy Coo...

More Easy Cajun Cooking Resources: