Grilled Green Bean and Pepper Salad

1/2  lb green beans, trim ends

1 red bell pepper, seeded and small diced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

1/2 tsp pepper (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Preheat grill to Medium heat.

Toss green beans in a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.

Remove seeds from pepper and dice small. Add this to the green beans.

Place beans and pepper mixture on a grill pan (if you don’t have one, make one out of aluminum foil.

Cook for 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally until it is slightly charred. 

Once cooked to desired state remove from heat and place into a dish and into the fridge to cool quickly.

Once cooled, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper, salt, and basil in a small bowl.

Place the green beans and peppers in a salad bowl and pour dressing over them.

Toss all ingredients gently until the beans and peppers are fully coated with the dressing.

Let the salad marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Delicata and Cabbage Stir-Fry

1 delicata squash cut into half moons

½-1 cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped

1-2 red peppers cut into thin strips

1 red onion sliced thin

2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar or honey

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons canola oil 

½ pound firm tofu, diced. ( or ½ pound of cooked chicken)

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt to taste

Rice

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, the rice wine vinegar, sugar or honey, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates upon contact. Add the tofu, and stir-fry until lightly colored, about three minutes. Remove from the pan, and season to taste with soy sauce.

Add the remaining oil to the pan. When it is hot, add the delicata squash. Stir-fry until it begins to color, five to eight minutes. Add the peppers, onion, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, and add the cabbage. Stir-fry until the squash is tender and the cabbage is crisp-tender, about six minutes, adding about 1/4 cup water to the pan from time to time if the vegetables begin to stick. Return the tofu to the pan.

Stir the sweet and sour mixture, and add to the vegetables. Stir just for a few seconds until they are glazed. Salt to taste. Remove from the heat and serve with rice.