Two great side dishes

Today was a day off work so I had some extra time to cook. We had some frozen chicken cordon bleu (not everything has to be scratch, right?) and so I focused on sides.

First a great dish from Mark Bittman's How to cook Everything, slow cooked green beans. Sounded interesting as I usually just steam or saute green beans with a little bacon/onion. It takes an hour so make sure you have some time. The results are worth it!

On to the potatoes! I did some googling for something with new potatoes and leeks. Found several interesting recipes and decided to combine a few and make something new. The result was a delish dish- dijon potatoes and leeks.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Green Beans
(get the book or the iphone app- or both like me, you won't regret it!!)

1-1.5 lb fresh green beans trimmed
1 sweet onion chopped
2-3 small tomatos seeded and chopped
1/4 c olive oil
3/4 c vegetable broth (or water)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & pepper

In a medium pot heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion. While the onion is softening chop the tomatoes and add to the pot. Trim the greenbeans and add them along with the broth or water. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil,cover, lower heat to medium low and simmer for an hour. Check and stir every 15 minutes. You want most of the liquid to be obsorbed but don't allow it to completely dry out. Add additional broth or water as needed. Mine were delish after one hour, Mr. Bittman says an extra hour won't hurt them:) Add a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of lemon juice to each serving. So incredible.

Dijon Leeks and New Potatoes

1 lb new potatoes scrubbed and quartered
2 large leeks chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 c vegetable broth
1/2 c white wine
2-3 tbsp dijon mustard

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet, saute leeks 5-7 minutes until soft. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Melt 1 tbsp butter in same skillet and add chopped new potatoes. Saute for a few minutes, stirring to coat with the butter. Add wine, broth and dijon mustard. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until most liquid is absorbed and potatoes are tender. Add reserved leeks, season with salt and pepper. Cook a few more minutes to allow the sauce to coat leeks. Wow- these were the hubbys fave.