Green Beans with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

As a wife and mother who works outside the home, I am always looking for ideas for dishes that are simple to prepare, but yet look and taste like a lot of preparation went into them.  This is one of those type side dishes!  

I LOVE pine nuts...so anytime I can come up with a way to introduce them into a recipe, I am all for it! They are very costly so I use them sparingly, but they are certainly a nice addition to this dish. 

Another plus to this dish is that it is a nice replacement for the traditional Green Bean Casserole that my son can't have due to his Gluten intolerance. 

1 - 1 1/2 pounds of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped 

1/3 cup pine nuts

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl and spread in a single layer on an 18" x 12" baking pan.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until desired doneness, stirring twice.

ENJOY!

Rice With Black Beans

This is one of those quick weeknight dinners that can literally be prepared in minutes.  My family has always liked Rice and Beans and this recipe is so simple you can't help but like it!

Serve this with some Mississippi Cornbread or some Southern Buttermilk Cornbread and you've got an entire meal in minutes!

1 Tablespoon oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 cups Instant brown rice, uncooked

Chop onion.

Mince garlic.

Heat oil in skillet on medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until tender, but not browned.

Stir in stewed tomatoes.

Rinse and drain black beans.

Add beans to tomato mixture.

Add water and dried oregano and stir thoroughly.

Stir in rice. Return to boil; reduce to low heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until heated through.

Remove from heat. Let stand approximately 5 minutes. Stir and serve.