One of life’s greatest pleasures – especially during the pandemic – is FOOD! Whether you are doing more cooking at home or enjoying lots of takeout, it is something we all look forward to on a daily basis…Hooray, it’s noon, time for lunch! Woohoo, it’s 5:00, what’s for dinner??? And even more importantly, what’s the menu for Sunday dinner?

For quite a few years now, we have enjoyed the tradition of hosting a Sunday dinner for our family, always lots of food, plenty of wine and tequila, music of various genres, and always loud! This summer we even did a few ‘themed’ dinners to add an extra element of fun – one Sunday was ‘Amalfi Coast’, one was Caribbean, and my favorite was ‘Thanksgiving in July’ as seen below…

In order to make these dinners as easy as possible allowing me time out of the kitchen to be enjoying the family, I have resorted to some shortcuts that I NEVER would have even considered in my younger years…definitely not Ginger approved, maybe even YOU will be horrified: Stovetop stuffing. Pre-made mashed potatoes. :-0 Haha! Honestly, they are both quite good, especially considering the time saved peeling, chopping, etc…

But alas, I do still make some things from scratch, especially simple, healthy recipes…

On a recent Sunday I made two great veggie dishes…wish that I had taken a pic as I served them but it was a mad feeding frenzy…at least there were some leftovers to show you…:-)

This green bean dish is barely even a recipe, but it was so colorful and yummy – perfect to serve with roasted chicken and Stovetop stuffing! It is blanched green beans added to a bag of tri-color sliced mini peppers…add a bit of chopped onion, a vinaigrette of your choice, and done!

This is a Greek Bean Salad, recently discovered in The Boston Globe – it is not only a good side dish, but it can also be a great vegetarian lunch on a bed of arugula…

Greek Bean Salad

4 cans(15 oz) of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp minced garlic

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 c red wine vinegar

3T extra virgin olive oil

1 ripe avocado, chopped into 1/2inch pieces

1 cup flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped

Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

Salt and pepper

In a large microwave-safe bowl, toss the beans with 1 tsp salt. Cover and microwave on high until hot (about 3-4 min). To the hot beans, add garlic, onion, vinegar, oil, 2 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp black pepper. Toss to combine, let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Then add avocado, parsley, dill, lemon zest and juice. Transfer to a serving bowl. Done!

Healthy and easy, right? Hope you enjoy!

Stay well. Eat well. Enjoy the NOW.