Grilled Vegetables in Balsamic vinaigrette

Here is a nice side dish for the summer.  Serve along any type of grilled meat.  

Makes 8 servings (approx. 7 oz each serving)

4 cups eggplant

3 cups squash

2 cups zucchini

2 cups red onion

1 cup parsley

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup dill

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Wash the vegetables, and peel the skin into stripes.  Cut them into 2" pieces.  Place them in a large pan.  Wash and chop the parsley and the dill.  Toss with the rest of the veggies and marinate them with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Refrigerate. When ready to grill, put them in aluminum foil boats and grill for about 20 min till veggies are tender. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving (182.4 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 237

Calories from Fat 194

Total Fat 21.6g

Saturated Fat 2.9g

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 162mg

Total Carbohydrates 11.2g

Dietary Fiber 3.9g

Sugars 3.5g

Protein 2.9g

Marinated in the balsamic vinegraitte

Wrapped in foil ready for the grill

After they are grilled.  

Enjoy!

Baked Butter Beans

Here is a vegetarian dish that I learned from my mother in law.  You will notice that I don’t cook too many meats.  I try to stay away from red meat as much as possible.  On occasion, during summer, I might grill a steak on the BBQ.  A couple of times during the week, I will make dishes without any chicken or pork.  That is also very common in Greek cooking.  The Greek diet does not consist of the three food categories, as is with the American diet.  It is very common here to have the three food groups, meat, starch and vegetable, than it is in the Greek diet.  There are plenty of vegetarian dishes that are rich in protein without having to eat red meat.  An example of that is the baked butter beans.  Beans are also rich in fiber. 

Butter beans are bigger in size than cannellini beans.  They are also meatier, if that’s the correct word.  I went a step further and simplified this dish by using canned butter beans instead of dried butter beans.  Dried butter beans have to be soaked in water overnight, and then cooked for a couple of hours before they come into the soft consistency as the canned beans.  It’s a lot easier to open up a can of butter beans than cooking dried beans.  I make sure and rinse the canned beans under cold water so any sodium will be washed away.  This way I have control of how much salt I can put in the meal.  I still take it easy with the salt, since no matter how much you rinse them off, some of it still stays with the beans. 

You can enjoy this vegetarian dish with a side salad; try a salad with my Ranch dressing with Greek yogurt and some fresh bread.  Then your meal is complete.  

Baked Butter beans

Six servings (approximately 15 oz per serving)

1 cup diced onion

½ cup olive oil

½ cup parsley chopped

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup diced celery

3 15 oz cans butter beans

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 cup water.

Turn oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit. Peel, wash and dice the onion. Set aside. Clean and slice the carrots. Dice the celery. Chop the parsley. Open up the cans of butter beans and rinse under cold water to get rid of any extra sodium.

In an ovenproof pan, add all the vegetables along with the butter beans and the olive oil. Add the salt, pepper, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water. Stir with a spoon to coat everything evenly. Place the pan in the oven. Let it bake for an hour to an hour and a half. All the liquid will be absorbed and the top will be lightly browned and crisp. Remove from the oven, and serve.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 15.764oz(446.9g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 447
Calories from Fat 182
Total Fat 20.2g
Saturated Fat 3.0g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 656mg
Total Carbohydrates 53.2g
Dietary Fiber 13.4g
Sugars 8.8g
Protein 16.6g