Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

Remember when I made these preserved lemons? Well I was thinking about what to make for a vegetable side dish for Thanksgiving and I hit upon haricot verts with preserved lemons. I really do like haricot verts better than regular old green beans - they are much thinner and just tastier. I'm sure it's just psychological but C'est La Vie (since I'm in a French sort of mood). This is such an easy recipe that it need not be saved for a special occasion. Green Beans with Preserved Lemons 1lb haricot verts 1 preserved lemon olive oil Steam haricot verts until just tender but  they still have a little crunch. Do not fully cover the pot while steaming as this leaves them with a murky green color. Leave the cover partially on the pot (trust me they will look nice and green). Place preserved lemon in a food processor and stream in olive oil until desired consistency. Pour over haricot verts and serve. I actually ended up using only half a lemon because it was a muta...

We're starting to come to the last of the zucchini, which I have mixed feelings about. I really haven't done a saute with them yet this year so I thought that it would round out the season nicely. Zucchini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes (adapted from Fine Cooking ) 2-3 small zucchini salt 3 T olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 T sun-dried tomatoes, fine chop 10 basil leaves 1/4 of a preserved lemon or 3 T lemon juice and zest of whole lemon Pepper Cut the ends off the zucchini and slice the zucchini length-wise into quarters. Slice off the seeds. Salt the zucchini planks and place on paper towels.  Let sit for about 10 minutes. Dry zucchini with paper towels and cut into diamonds (cut the planks on an angle) about 1" size chunks. Amazing how much liquid comes off Heat skillet and add 2T olive oil. Saute zucchini, tossing occasionally. You want the zucchini to get nice and dark so don't toss them too much. Cook about 5 minutes or until they soften. Add ga...

I was poking around the freezer and found some bone-in chicken breasts in there that needed to be used.  I poked around the refrigerator to see what else would go with nicely with the chicken and here's what I came up with: Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts 1lb bone-in chicken breasts (skin on) 4 oz goat cheese 1 T fresh tarragon 1 T preserved lemons (or lemon zest) salt/pepper Gently work the skin off the chicken breast so that a pocket forms.  Set aside.  Mix goat cheese with tarragon, preserved lemon, salt and pepper.  Distribute the goat cheese mixture evenly among the chicken breast. Season tops of chicken breast with salt and pepper. A little dab of olive oil wouldn't hurt either. Brush grill with paper towel dipped in canola oil. Grill on indirect heat at 350 for about 25-30 minutes (depending on size of breasts).