Greek Giant Beans ( Gigantes )

This delicious dish is made from the same Yachni sauce that several of the other dishes have been made from, but the difference in texture & consistency, along with the addition of spices, makes it taste quite different from the other dishes using this sauce. And, with the prepared Yachni sauce, it is embarrassingly easy to make : )


The traditional preparation of this dish is an all day process (starting the night before). It is traditionally done like this: Dry beans are soaked overnight, and the next day they are simmered for hours till done. While the beans are simmering, the sauce is made from scratch. As the beans finish, the sauce, beans, vegetables & spices are combined and put in a covered baking dish in the oven, to cook for about three hours. During the cooking time, the dish is occasionally stirred and checked for moisture content and monitored till it is perfectly done.

This prepared dish can be purchased at the olive bar at our local grocery store for $7.99/pound. Prepared at home, you'll get A LOT of pounds for $7.99!

Greek Giant Beans ( Gigantes )
Combine in Crock Pot or Slow Cooker

5 15oz cans Butter Beans, Drained
1 12oz bag frozen Mirepoix mix, rinsed under warm water to thaw *
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 to 4 cups Yachni Sauce (till it looks like the picture below)

Cook on high for 3 to 6 hours or low for 6 to 10 hours (this is a VERY forgiving recipe, as far as time goes!)
If it is too dry when you take it out, drizzle a little boiling water over the beans to add enough moisture - it soaks right in!

This is not a particularly good candidate for stove top cooking, as the low moisture content and long cooking time make it high maintenance.
But, it can be baked in a covered casserole for 1 1/2 hours or so, checking periodically for moisture content.

This one (like many of the others) freezes well, so is a great make-ahead or bulk cooking dish.

*If you prefer, use about 3/4 cup sliced carrots & 3/4 cup sliced celery.

 

Meal Planning & Bulk Cooking - Horizontal or Vertical?

I love to read cookbooks and cooking blogs. Right now, I'm especially enjoying those writers that focus on Bulk Cooking, Frugal Menus, Freezer Cooking, and Meal Planning.

But, all of the writers I've read focus on what I think of as "Horizontal Meal Planning." They read the calendar across for the next two weeks, or the next month, and prepare a meal for every night.

When I speak to friends, though, that is often not what they want or need. A lot of my friends enjoy cooking. They don't really need or want to be free from cooking every night. But, what they do need is a prepared meal for Church night, Tae Kwon Do night, Soccer night, Meeting night, or Overtime night - so that they aren't stressed on these busy nights and also don't break their budget by eating restaurant food out of desperation.

What I would suggest as an alternative is Vertical meal planning & preparation. If Wednesday nights you have a Committee meeting, Church, or Ballet class - prepare a month worth of Wednesday meals. The nice thing about this method is that you can cook meals that are similar - and therefore much more efficient to prepare. You can choose a Greek, Italian, Mexican or Asian Theme - and prepare a freezer full of meals that all use a similar preparation method.

For instance, using the recipes posted here, you could do the prep work for 4 meals by preparing a Vat O'Yachni, and from it - Greek Style Okra, Green Beans, Bean Soup and Gemista filling in about an hour working time - TOTAL! Each of these recipes requires only the sauce and usually two or three other ingredients. You have the choice of three methods: 1) simmering and freezing, 2) packaging sauce only (best for very small freezers) or 3) packaging sauce with other ingredients for simmering on serving day. Whichever method you use, you've got a meal for your busy nights in the freezer - while having freedom and spontaneity on more relaxed nights.

Soon, there will be enough recipes here to add a second column of easy-to-prepare freezer meals - in case (like most people) you have more than one busy night a week.


I also hope to feature some traditional horizontal menus soon : )

Also being shared on:
Menu Plan Monday

Orzo Pilaf

This is another easy Vegan Entree that comes together in the amount of time it takes to boil a pot of pasta : )

Orzo Pilaf:

Cook according to package directions and set aside

1 Pound orzo

In a large skillet, Saute
1 bag pepper & onion mix or 1 red bell pepper &1 onion in crescents
2  (4 oz) cans mushrooms, or 1 pound fresh
1 T garlic

Add
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp (or less) salt
Above prepared Orzo or rice

Then

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Stir briefly to warm, and serve

Serving Tip: If you serve this with peas as a side dish, the flavors complement each other, and you ALSO get a complete protein! (I don't really worry about matching proteins much, but that's a topic for a future post)

Tip for dining with Omnivores: A dollop of plain yogurt is very nice on top of this pilaf. Also, cooked cubed chicken can be added to the Omnivore's portion of the dish, or a grilled chicken breast may be served along side.

Gluten Free Variation: I have made this dish with rice in place of orzo when serving Gluten-Free folks, and it turned out pretty nicely : )