Welcome

Welcome to Mags's food blog, On A Roll. I like to eat and drink. I also like to cook. I try to keep things simple, but I get bored easily. Life is hectic, too, so I don't always get to put as much creative energy into my food as I would like and tend to wind up eating crap a lot. I've heard the same thing from lots of my friends, and others lament that they want to cook more, but they don't know how or what to do. So let's have a food blog to talk about the successes and failures in the kitchen, to share ideas and keep the ball rolling!

I will be posting "recipes" here, but I have a pretty loose style in the kitchen, and tend not to measure things (except when baking - then you have to measure). And I like to mix things up depending on what I happen to have on hand. These recipes are original, in the sense that I haven't consciously stolen them from anyone else, but sometimes I forget where I picked up an idea. When I do remember, I'll note it.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll get husband Ian to post some stuff here too. He's actually a much better cook than I am - although I have been on a roll lately (hence the title).

I may also post stuff about restaurants, stores, and other food-related things in Ottawa. Who knows?

Sesame Green Beans

This simple Asian-inspired green bean salad is good on its own for lunch when I'm feeling health conscious, or as a side dish for dinner. I threw it together after seeing a green bean salad at Farm Boy and thinking it looked tasty but it was expensive, so I figured I'd just make it myself. And it was tasty, and cheap, and easy, and nutritious - so a winner all round. I've made it several times now and it always turns out well, even if, like today, all you have is tough old winter beans. Of course, I forgot to take a picture before I ate it - oops. That's probably going to happen a lot.

Ingredients

• green beans (at least two big handfuls)
• sesame seeds - 1/2 Tbsp?
• vegetable oil (I used peanut today for the richness) - 1/2 Tbsp?
• soy sauce - 1 tsp
• juice of half a lemon (or 1 Tbsp orange juice - but then you probably don't want the honey, unless you like your salad dressings sweet - who am I to judge?)
• a small squirt of honey - 1/2 tsp?
  
• a dash toasted sesame oil
• rice vinegar - 1/2 Tbsp?
• peanut butter - 1/2 Tbsp?

Method

1. Put some water in a pot to boil. Clean green beans and remove ends. When water is boiling, add some salt, and the green beans. Cook until tender but not overcooked - depends on your beans - today it took about 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan up over med-low heat, throw in the sesame seeds and let them toast, tossing occasionally.
3. While those are going, mix up the rest of the ingredients in a good-sized bowl with a fork. If it looks like you have too much dressing, pour some out into a small jar to save for next time. Or, if you've thought ahead and figured out that there's going to be too much dressing, make it in a jar in the first place.
4. When beans are cooked, pour out the hot water and run cold water over them to cool. Then dump them into the dressing, toss them (with the fork), top with the toasted sesame seeds and toss some more.
   
5. Eat.