Monday, February 8, 2010

Creole Green Beans

Creole Green Beans

Image from flickr.  Mine didn't look this pretty, but they tasted good.



I have some salsa left over from when I made chili and need to find a way to use it up.  Yes, I know salsa goes great with tortilla chips, but I'm trying to eat healthy foods.  I need to find something else.  Here's a recipe for Creole Green Beans that calls for half a cup of salsa.  OK, let's try it.  15-minute prep...that means it will take me at least 30. 

First, I need 2 small onions, chopped.  Is it weird that chopping onions only bothers one of my eyes?  A few years ago, I had an intraocular lens implanted in my right eye and it's the only one that's stinging.  The food processor in the corner mocks me as I dab at my eye with a cool cloth.  "You could have used me to chop those onions.  La idiota."  Did it not see me tossing clutter?  (I did my 15 minutes today.)  It could be next...  

I have to saute the onions in 1/4 cup butter.  How long?  Until they are golden brown?  Until I'm tired of cooking them, which is now.  I picked two of the smallest I could find, but this seems like an awful lot of onions to go with 4 cups of green beans. Wait a minute.  This recipe is for a 2-quart slow cooker.  I need to double the recipe anyway because mine is much larger.  Let's make that 8 cups of green beans. 

Next, I have to combine the onions with the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker.  I need a full cup of salsa instead of half, which is almost exactly how much I have left.  2 to 3 Tbsp. of brown sugar doubled is 4 to 6.  I choose 4.  One half teaspoon of garlic salt is optional.  I'll add it, but not doubled.  Finally, I have to cook them on low for 3 to 4 hours.  After they've been cooking for a couple of hours I'll put some chicken, skin removed, in the oven with some Zatarain's Creole Seasoning.   

Dinner was yummy.  I'm learning. 




          





  

16 comments:

Sara Louise said...

Onions only make one of my eyes tear too! Now I know I'm not the only freak out there, thanks :-)
Recipe looks great, going to give it a go.

Sage said...

Sounds like a perfectly good way to waste salsa, onions, brown sugar and garlic salt. Green beans is the one vegetable I hate--I was force feed them as a kid and have refused them ever since. I laughed at your onion cooking! You writing makes recipe reading fun.

buffalodick said...

It would be endearing to watch you cook!

Jen said...

@Sara Louise: Good, that makes me feel better.

@Sage: That's how I am with split peas. I don't even want to look at them.

@buffalodick: I wish some local guy would think that.

Vince said...

I needed to look up 'slow-cooker', we do not have them at all.
I'm glad it was tasty.

Claudya Martinez said...

That sounds great! I use salsa in a lot of things.

Kate said...

Onions make both of my eyes crazy - I am actually blind and holding a knife for a good few minutes!

Heather said...

The food processor in the corner mocks me. Haha, I am guilty of this too. I have one but for some unknown reason, I always forget.

Sounds delish!

yonca said...

Looks and sounds delicious!I love green beans and cook very often. Gotta try it your way.

Jen said...

@Vince: No slow cookers? I love my slow cooker! No stirring...no watching...no hovering over a hot stove...put food in and return 4 to 8 hours later...dinner is served!

@Unknown Mami: I've just started seeing recipes that call for salsa. It does add a certain zip.

@Kate: That's a little scary...

@Heather: It's annoying to take apart and clean. It's only used if I have a LOT of chopping to do.

@yonca: They are boring unless you spice them up.

Vince said...

Nope, we have a pressure cooker. Its way faster brother.
But this slo-cooker of yours is but the Dutchy of olden days set way off to one side of an open fire ?.

Jen said...

@Vince: I think it's similar. We could hardly build a fire in the living room or leave live coals on a pot, but we can leave the slow cooker going while we are away at work or school. It's a ceramic pot that sits inside a metal heating element. I guess that would have the same effect as piling coals on top of a Dutch oven.

goatman said...

I love the term "almost exactly"; and you seem to have a variable supply of green beans for your edible concoctions!
Why not throw the chicken in the crock pot with the beans and not dirty another dish?

Since I am the dish-washing entity of the family I tend to conserve pottery.

Thanks for visiting . . .

Jen said...

@goatman: For some reason, the little bag of frozen green beans cost more than the big bag. I've still got some. Thanks for returning the visit.

Vince said...

Granted, about the fire in the livingroom. But maybe this slo-cooker is an attempt to get the flavours of the older system. WHo knows, eh.

Jen said...

@Vince: I think it was a successful attempt.

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