A Bountiful Harvest from Our Vegetable Garden

We are celebrating this year’s bountiful vegetable crop thanks to a glorious early summer here in the North East.

Pears - Pere

All photos - Copyright - ©2016 - La Casa e Il Giardino

Yes, it required some work – seeding, planting, mulching, fertilizing, watering and weeding.

Swisschard



Cabbage

Some plants required special attention - 

Pole beans



Tomatoes on the vine

....keeping an eye on the pests





such as staking up the tomato and bean vines  

Eggplants


........but look at the harvest

Cucumbers

Dandelions

Jersey tomatoes

Italian flat beans

In my opinion, eating vegetables that you have grown yourself is an experience everyone should enjoy. They taste so much better than anything you can buy in a grocery store. 

  

Legumes on the Table - Legumi sulla Tavola

Legumes are often valued as an inexpensive source of protein, but are notably absent from most Western menus.

Legumes—including beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, chickpeas, fava beans, and soybeans—are good sources of fiber and have a low glycemic index.   According to experts, a diet high in legumes may be beneficial for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

Beans in tomato sauce

 One common complaint against legumes is the bloating and gas.

 I have some tips to ease the transition to including more legumes in your diet:

• add them in slowly, one serving a day for a week.

•  change the water halfway through cooking them.

•  soak overnight with a pinch of baking soda and

         change the water before cooking

• mix with other vegetables (escarole and beans)

 If you cook dry beans at home, instead of eating canned beans, you’ll skip a great deal of unnecessary sodium as well as byproducts of the can lining. 

Beans cooking

These are some of my favorite dishes: 

Lentils

Chickpeas with olive oil and onion

Fava beans

Escarole and beans

Start slow and add a variety of legumes to your healthful diet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/health/beans-and-greens-a-power-couple-recipes-for-health.html?ref=dining

http://www.wsj.com/articles/want-great-longevity-and-health-it-takes-a-village-1432304395

Baked Beans with Swiss Chard - Fagioli e Bietola al Forno

Beans and Swiss chard just married...and what a perfect union.  The dark-green Swiss chard loaded with vitamins and minerals united with healthy beans creates a nutrition powerhouse.  The small amount of ham gives this casserole rich flavor without adding much fat.

Baked beans with Swiss chard

Images: ©2012 - La Casa e Il Giardino -picasaweb

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 bunch of Swiss chard, upper portion of stems removed and leaves chopped

1 cup lean ham (optional)

1 can chopped tomatoes

3 cups of cooked beans.    I prefer Great Northern beans. 

                                                 Use 3 small cans of your favorite beans.

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Cooking beans

Preheat the oven at 375*.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrot, salt and pepper.  Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. 

Add the chard, ham and 1/4 cup of water and cook until chard is wilted.  Add the tomatoes and their juice and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the cooked beans and their water, parsley and thyme and simmer for few more minutes.

Adjust salt and pepper.  Transfer the vegetables into a large baking dish.  Cover and bake for 40 minutes.  Then uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

This casserole is delicious and satisfying even without the meat.



You may also like:

Swiss chard and potatoes

Escarole and beans

Cranberry or Borlotti beans