Fast & Easy Garlic Green Beans

1. Choose slender, smooth, bright green, string beans; Costco sells them in bags; no trimming needed. Wash and put aside.

2. Chop garlic coarsely, as much as you want, chopped or pressed as you prefer! Leave for 10 minutes as this helps the sulfur compound "alliin" conver to "allicin"which provides the health benefits of garlic. Tip: Use salt or fresh lemon juice to remove garlic odor from your hands.

3. Add a small amount of EV olive oil in a large frying pan or pot that can be covered; lightly cover the bottom of the pan, you do not need much.

4. Add garlic and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, the longer the more crisp.

5. Turn up heat to high and add bean; make sure they wet, just the water from washing them is enough. Cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. You can cover the pan if you prefer them a little more cooked. You can also add a splash of soy sauce and pepper to taste.

6. Enjoy!

My invention for the week: steam small chunks of butternut, drain, mash lightly (keep it chunky) and stir in a little tahini and drizzle with hot pepper sesame oil. Yum!!!

Rob's Raw Food Salad

hey people.......as you may know, I eat 80% raw live food.....so to keep things interesting, creativity and taste are of the essence......so is simplicity, in my tastebuds view!

1/2 bunch of chives chopped,1 cup finely diced fennel, 1/2 cup finely chopped fennel head (greens), 1/2 1x1" diced avocado. now throw the 3 TBSP of EVOO, (in my case, lemon and garlic infused) and 1 1/2 T white balsamic over the gear, as well as salt! mix it in!! next throw 2 cups mixed leaf baby leaf and 2 cups sunflower shoots don't mix, but allow the whole deal to marinate for 10-15 minutes (or 1 minute if you are hungry!). the light leaves on top are not getting marinated! after the soak, mix it all in thouroughly, and enjoy!

CLEAN AND CRISP. TRY IT! SEND FEEDBACK!

Wendy's Fast Breakfast Pancake

This is one of Charles and my favorites from childhood. Very fast, easy and nutritious.

Ready? Go!

Combine 1 T flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk one egg, and add 1/3 c milk (more or less). Add a little egg/milk mix to flour, whisk, then add all egg/milk and whisk until just mixed.

Pour mix into buttered non-stick pan on medium. Swirl the pan around so the pancake spreads out nice and evenly. When sides come away, turn over and let cook a little longer.

Then throw onto a plate, fill with mashed banana or applesauce (preferably heated) and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll it up and cover with maple syrup, jam or butter.

Yumm!!!

feta/bacon/parsley pasta

Today I made a pasta dish with bacon, feta, flat-leaf parsley, and kalamata olives. It is go-to.

The most important part is buying fresh pasta... I know it's like 10 times as expensive as normal pasta, but I promise it's worth it. Maybe you are already a believer :) I bought angel hair and threw it in salted boiling water for about 3 minutes--the fresh stuff cooks really fast. At the same time I cooked bacon in a pan. After straining the pasta I toss on the bacon, chopped feta, chopped parsley, and olives. The bacon is salty, so usually I don't add anymore salt. Red pepper flakes and black pepper finish it off nicely if you like a bit of kick.

I also cooked up some brussel sprouts that go nicely: i like to use the pan I cooked the bacon in to give it a bit of extra fat/flavor. I start with garlic and onion, then add halved b-sprouts (halving them makes it so they cook all the way through).

Pile it all on a plate and enjoy!!