Quick Fix: Hearty bean and veggie medley

Here’s a flavorful vegetable one-pot dinner that takes only minutes to make. One secret to the flavor is escarole. It is part of the chicory family. When escarole is raw it has a slightly bitter flavor and when cooked it adds a mellow touch to the dish. Toasted pecans add a crunchy texture. I use dried thyme and oregano for the dish.

Here’s a note, if your dried spices are more than 6 months old, they’ve probably lost their flavor. I like to add the date I bought the spice to the bottle to help me know when it’s time to buy a new one.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Any type of beans can be used.

Walnuts or almonds can be substituted for pecans.

Four crushed garlic cloves can be used instead of minced garlic.

COUNTDOWN:

Toast pecans and set aside.

Prepare ingredients.

Make the recipe.

SHOPPING List:

To buy: 1 package pecans, 1 container minced garlic, 1 bottle dried thyme, 1 bottle dried oregano, 1 container reduced-sodium vegetable broth, 1 head escarole 1 can reduced-sodium cannellini beans and 1 piece Parmesan cheese.

Staples: olive oil, onion, salt and black peppercorns.

Hearty bean and veggie medley

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1/2 cup broken pecan pieces

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cups sliced onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

3 cups coarsely chopped escarole

1 cup reduced-sodium canned cannellini beans

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Toast the pecans in a toaster oven or under a broiler for 1 minute or until they start to color. Set aside. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and saute 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and oregano. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, escarole and cannellini beans. Cook for 5 minutes or until the escarole starts to wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into 2 dinner soup bowls. Sprinkle toasted pecans and parmesan cheese on top.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 511 calories (46 percent from fat), 26.4 g fat (3.4 g saturated, 13.6 g monounsaturated), 4 mg cholesterol, 19.4 g protein, 58.1 g carbohydrates, 12.7 g fiber, 312 mg sodium.