2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon capers
2 cloves roasted garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 crimini mushrooms, halved
8 ounces goat cheese, sliced
salt and pepper

1. Combine olive oil, parsley, tarragon, vinegar, capers and roasted garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender.
3. Remove the mushrooms and place cut slide up on a plate. Top with goat cheese and a drizzle of prepared sauce to serve.

Makes 4 servings

2 cups green beans, trimmed and Frenched
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper
water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bring water to a boil and lightly steam the green beans until crisp-tender.
3. Arrange green beans in an oven proof casserole dish and cover with zucchini slices.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and then whisk in the flour. Cook for about a minute.
5. Gradually add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce thickens, then remove from the heat.
6. Stir the garlic and lemon juice into the white sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Bechamel and the whole idea of using a roux to thicken things has become of my favorite discoveries over the year. The fact that it can be used as the base for so many things has not ceased to amaze me. It can be used as a savory topping, as a component of a thick and creamy soup, as a sauce or simply to make delicious Macaroni and Cheese. Tonight I baked it on zucchini and green beans, which gives it a texture almost like creamy mashed potatoes with cheese, only without cheese or potatoes being involved in any way, shape or form. The Zucchini and Green Beans Bechamel was very good, with a light flavor of garlic and lemon.

My other dish was both creamy and cheesy as well, but because of rich goat cheese, not bechamel. Just some simpled sautéed mushrooms with a sort of vinaigrette dressing and goat cheese. Delicious. The flavor of the Tarragon Mushrooms with Goat Cheese was not really tarragony at all, which I thought was a little surprising and, again, you can't go wrong with anything involving goat cheese!

Unfortunately, the shifts I've been working lately haven't permitted me access to the grocery stores and the fridge is fairly bare, so this is a leftover thrown together sort of meal. For a dinner comprised of two side dishes it was quite satisfying, as both of them were fairly meaty and rich. It still would've been nice to have even a simple grilled chicken breast or something to accompany them though.