Chef Daniel Boulud take Chinese long beans, steamed them and tied them into knots, topped with chicken (see the photo below).

What a fun way to get people to eat more green beans!

Our recipe, below, is much simpler, and the Chinese-style beans can be served with any dish that pair with green beans.

You can find Chinese long beans in Asian markets, or plan ahead and grow your own yard-long string beans with these string bean seeds from Burpee.

You can substitute regular green beans, which are just as tasty, if not as striking in appearance.

Chinese long beans (photo © Burpee).

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
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*Available in the Asian products section of most supermarkets, in Asian specialty stores and online; Lee Kum Kee is a quality brand. See more about oyster sauce below. You can substitute Hoisin sauce, but it gives the dish a sweeter flavor than the pungent oyster sauce.

Daniel Boulud’s long bean knots with chicken (photo by Richard Patterson | © Restaurant Daniel).

1. HEAT peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until the edges begin to brown, about 20 seconds.

2. ADD the beans; cook and stir until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

3. STIR in the sugar, oyster sauce and soy sauce. Continue cooking/stirring for several minutes until the beans have attained the desired degree of tenderness.
 
 
WHAT IS A CHINESE LONG BEAN?

Its botanical name is Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis. It is best known as the long bean or Chinese yardlong bean, but also as the asparagus bean, bora, long-podded cowpea, pea bean, snake bean and yardlong bean. The pods are actually about half a yard long; the subspecies name sesquipedalis means “one and a half feet long” (half a yard).

A popular condiment in Chinese and Filipino cuisines, oyster sauce is often used in stir fries and as a topping for steamed vegetables.

The viscous sauce is prepared from oysters and brine. A true oyster sauce is aromatic with intense flavor, and is expensive. Most oyster sauces on the market are cheaper, diluted solutions of concentrated ones. There are also vegan versions made from mushrooms.

Oyster sauce was invented in 1888 by Mr. Lee Kam-Sheung of Nam Shui Village in Guangdong Province, Chinas, an island where oysters were abundant.

Originally born in another village, Lee was a farmer who had to leave town following threats from local gangsters. He opened a restaurant in his new village, using the local oysters to make stock. One day he forgot about a pot of stock on the stove, and when he returned to it the stock had boiled down to a thick, aromatic and delicious sauce: a happy accident!†

His company, Lee Kum Kee, continues to produce oyster sauce along with a wide variety of fine Asian condiments.

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†Source: Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship in Hong Kong: A Casebook, edited by Ali F. Farhoomand. Here’s the page reference.

Here are two great Buffalo wing-style recipes that aren’t wings, but use the other ingredients of the dish—blue cheese dip and hot sauce.

The first is Crispy Buffalo Brussels Sprouts, an appetizer for game day or a first course or side for dinner.

Next up is a Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Dig in!
 
 
RECIPE #1: CRISPY BUFFALO BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Thanks to QVC for this recipe by Meredith Lawrence | Blue Jean Chef for QVC.

“Deep-frying is not the most common way of cooking Brussels sprouts,” says Meredith, “but it’s delicious! You can alter this recipe by leaving out the breading and just deep-frying the sprouts, or by using a different type of dip, like honey-mustard or ranch, instead of the blue cheese.”

Ingredients

For The Brussels Sprouts

 
For The Buffalo Hot Sauce

 
For The Blue Cheese Dip

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the Buffalo hot sauce by combining the hot sauce and butter in a small bowl; set aside.

2. PREPARE the blue cheese dip: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until the Brussels sprouts are ready.

3. PREPARE the Brussels sprouts: Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Blanch the halved Brussels sprouts in vigorously boiling water for 2 minutes. Strain and drain well, rolling around in a clean dish towel to remove as much of the moisture as possible.

4. FILL a straight-sided sauté pan with canola oil about 2-3 inches deep, and bring the temperature to 350°F.

5. PLACE the flour and eggs in two separate shallow dishes. In a third shallow dish, or a zipper-sealable plastic bag, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Lightly dredge the Brussels sprouts in the flour, then dip them into the egg mixture. Coat with the breadcrumb mixture.

6. DEEP FRY the breaded Brussels sprouts in the oil until nicely browned. Remove from the pan and place on a rack or paper towel-lined plate. Allow the Brussels to cool slightly and serve immediately with the Buffalo Hot Sauce and Blue Cheese Dip.
 
 
RECIPE #2: BUFFALO CHICKEN GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

This recipe comes from QVC’s resident chef, David Venable.

David’s tip: To turn these full-size sandwiches into appetizer-size portions, simply cut the sandwiches into bite-size pieces and place a toothpick into each square.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SPREAD the butter evenly on four slices of bread and lay each slice, buttered-side down, on a work surface lined with parchment or wax paper. Set the remaining four slices aside.

2. WHIP the cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the Cheddar cheese and mix well; then fold in the blue cheese. Spread the mixture onto the plain side of each slice of bread.

3. COMBINE the chicken, mayonnaise, onion, celery, and Buffalo Wing sauce in a new mixing bowl; toss until the chicken is evenly coated. Spread this mixture on top of the prepared bread slices and top with the remaining four slices.

4. HEAT a large sauté pan or griddle over medium-low heat. Add the sandwiches and toast each side until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes. Serve.

[1] Even people who don’t like Brussels sprouts will enjoy these! Photo courtesy QVC.

[2] We love Brussels sprouts cooked, raw as crudités, and shaved into salads and slaws (photo © Sweetgreen).

[3] Freshly grated parmesan makes a big difference in flavor (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[4] Buffalo grilled cheese sandwich. Photo courtesy QVC. The recipe is below.

[5] Shredded cheddar is one of three cheeses in this recipe,along with cream cheese and blue cheese. Photo © Darryl Brooks | Dreamstime.

Wondering what to o with those banana split dishes? Make a taco sundae!

This recipe is from Wholly Guacamole, which uses its Wholly Guacamole Classic Dip and Wholly Salsa. It takes just 20 minutes to prepare.

RECIPE: TACO SUNDAE

Ingredients For 4 Servings

Preparation

1. BROWN the ground meat; then add the taco seasoning, adding a little water as needed to distribute the seasoning evenly. Stir to mix well. Continue cooking another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese.

2. HEAT the refried beans.

3. COMBINE combine the sour cream with the Wholly Salsa dip in a small bowl.

4. COVER the bottom of the dish with the shredded lettuce. Scoop the meat with the ice cream scoop, pack it with a spoon and place in the middle of the bed of lettuce.

5. SQUEEZE the guacamole into the [cleaned] scoop, smooth with the back of a spoon or knife and place on one side of the meat. Place a scoop of beans on the other side of the meat.

6. POUR a tablespoon of the salsa mixture over each scoop. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and place a cherry tomato on top. Serve with corn tortilla chips.
  

Turn pepperoni into a pigskin with this clever idea from Due Forni restaurant in Las Vegas (the restaurant’s name means “two ovens”).

Whether you’re having pizza delivered on game day or making it yourself, it’s easy to add a football to your pizza.

 
Go team!

MORE “FOOTBALL FOOD”

This wintery cake combines chestnuts and red wine and has no added fat. Contributing blogger and cookbook author Hannah Kaminsky, who developed the recipe, explains:

“Infused with a generous pour of Cabernet from the start and doused with an additional slug of brown sugar-enriched wine syrup—soaking each nook and cranny with a strong dose of sweet red wine—this cake knows how to party.

“Studded with large pieces of roasted chestnuts, it’s a seasonal treat that’s perfect for the cold winter months.

Though the jubilant days of Christmas and New Year’s feel like a lifetime ago, the current series of snow days are an excellent excuse to batten down the hatches and drown your sorrows—not in a stiff drink, but a strong slice of this tender cake.”

If you don’t want cake for “happy hour,” enjoy it as a snack at any time of day, or for dessert with a bit of whipped cream. Don’t forget—the cake is fat-free.

We’d also recommend it as a gourmet Super Bowl dessert.

[1] Chestnut loaf cake with no added fat (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

“Purely by accident,” explains Hannah, “the recipe became much leaner than intended by my inadvertent omission of any added fat. So while this isn’t diet fare, it is a better-for-you cake.

“Happily, the texture doesn’t suffer one bit without the oil. I would have never realized my mistake if not for my recipe notes. I guess it’s obvious that not all of the wine made it into the cake!”

[3] Chinese five-spice powder. The recipe is below (photo Marietta Spice Mill).

Ideally, prepare the cake a day in advance to allow the wine syrup to thoroughly meld with the crumb.

Since you need less than 1-1/4 cups of wine, you can use up leftover wine—or serve the rest of a new bottle with the cake.

Ingredients For 8-10 Servings

 
For The Crimson Wine Syrup

1. PREHEAT oven to 325°F with rack in the center. Lightly grease and flour an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan.

2. WHISK together the flour, sugar, five-spice powder, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Add the chopped chestnuts and toss to coat with the flour blend to prevent the pieces from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Set aside.

3. MIX the wine, applesauce, and vanilla in a separate bowl; then add to the wet goods into the flour mix. Use a wide spatula to combine, stirring just enough to blend without over-mixing. It’s perfectly fine to have a few lumps remaining.

4. TRANSFER the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top before sliding the pan into the oven. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until deeply browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. While the cake is baking…

5. PREPARE the red wine syrup by combining the wine, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. If you’d like the wine to retain a bit of its alcoholic bite, cook just until the sugar has dissolved. Alternatively, allow it to simmer for 5-10 minutes for the alcohol to boil out.

6. PREPARE the baked cake while it is still warm by poking it numerous times with a skewer. Go deep to allow the syrup to penetrate far into the crumb. Pour the hot syrup over the cake and let cool completely before removing it from the pan. Although the cake tastes best the next day after soaking a bit, it’s quite delicious to slice and serve as soon as it’s cool.
 
 
RECIPE #2: CHINESE FIVE-SPICE POWDER

What is Chinese five-spice powder?

Like adobo, chili powder, curry powder, fines herbes, garam masala, herbes de provence, ras-el-hanout, togarishi, za’atar, and other global spice blends, the ingredients and the proportion of ingredients vary based on the cook or the manufacturer. Some five-spice recipes include anise seed, black or white pepper, cardamom, galangal, ginger, licorice, mandarin peel, nutmeg, and turmeric.

Since the five-spice powder is also used in other Asian cuisines and in Middle Eastern cooking, there are regional preferences as well.

Blend together:

 
Store any extra spice in an airtight jar.