2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 lb. thin green beans, cut in half
2 dried red chiles, roughly chopped
2 fresh green chiles, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Heat the oil in a preheated wok or large skillet.  Add the green beans and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.  Add the chiles and garlic and stir fry for another 30-60 seconds.

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, honey and sesame oil.  Stir the mixture into the wok and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4

 2 pints Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in quarters
1 gallon salted water boiling
1 gallon salted ice water
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup graded parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt & black pepper to taste
Chopped parsley to taste

Place cleaned sprouts in boiling water for about 5 minutes or until tender, pull out and put directly in ice water, strain and set aside.

Pre heat medium sized sauté pan, add a drizzle of olive oil, add garlic and cook 15 seconds then add your sprouts and cook 3 minutes, then add heavy cream, butter and half of the cheese, and cook until thickens about 3minutes, season with salt and pepper.

Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining cheese and Chopped parsley and serve.

Serves 4

8 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups red potatoes, diced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Peel the garlic and then toss with olive oil. Wrap them in foil and roast for about 20-30 minutes or until they are soft.

Meanwhile, boil 4 cups of water and then add the potatoes and salt. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes.

Add the milk, butter, garlic and pepper and begin to mash. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serves 4

Know someone who doesn’t like carrots? Easy fix…just add bacon!

4 carrots
1 slice bacon, chopped
black pepper, to taste

Peel and slice the carrots. In a large saute pan over medium heat, add the bacon and saute for about 1 minute. Add the carrots and continue to saute for about 5 minutes or until tender. Season with black pepper, to taste.

Serves 4

After a recent trip to some local farm stands, I came home with an amazing assortment of local-grown cherry tomatoes. I prepared this dish as a side dish to a steak dinner I made. I think you will really enjoy the flavors in this recipe.

5 cups cherry tomatoes (multi-colored heirloom)
5 cups torn baguette
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup pitted green olives
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Place one of your oven racks in the upper third position and one rack in the lower third position. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash your tomatoes and pat dry. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer in a baking pan. Place the bread in a large bowl, drizzle with 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss to coat. Arrange the bread in a single layer on another baking pan.

Roast the tomatoes on the top rack and the bread on the lower rack for about 25 minutes. Gently stir the tomatoes and bread half way through cooking. The tomatoes are done when the skin begins to split and wrinkle. The bread is ready when it is lightly toasted. Be careful not to burn the bread.

Transfer the bread into the pan of tomatoes. Add the olives. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl, then drizzle over the tomatoes, olives and bread. Toss gently to combine.

Serves 6-8

My girlfriend and I drove out to some of the great farm stands on eastern Long Island last weekend and came back with a great selection of fresh local grown produce. I prepared this simple corn-cucumber salad that had such a nice flavor.

2 medium cucumbers
2 cups fresh corn, cooked and cooled
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Peel the cucumber and slice it in half lengthwise, then slice thinly. Place in a bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4-8 hours before serving to allow the flavors to combine.

Serves 6-8

4-6 medium red potatoes, cut in half, then quartered
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and toss until the potatoes are evenly coated. Transfer potatoes into a baking dish. Cook for about 45 minutes, tossing the potatoes every so often. The potatoes should be crispy on the outside and tender in the middle.

Serves 2-4

Check out this video that demonstrates how to julienne zucchini.

1 medium zucchini, julienne cut
1 medium carrot, peeled & julienne cut
1 clove garlic
salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the garlic and saute for about 10 seconds. Next, add in the carrots and saute for about a minute before adding in the zucchini. Season with salt and black pepper. Saute until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Add the chopped parsley and toss to combine.

Serves 2-4

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large baking dish, add the asparagus, olive oil, bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the asparagus is slightly tender. Add the cherry tomatoes and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Add the feta cheese and toss to combine.
Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

2 lbs small red potatoes, cut in quarters
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large baking dish, combine all ingredients and toss well so that all the potatoes are coated. Place in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are crisp and tender. Toss the potatoes half way through to evenly brown.

Serves 4-6