I've been a green bean fan all my life, but only lately have been eating them in a healthier manner. I grew up on canned green beans and so I've been serving those for years to my family. Recently someone suggested roasting them. WOW. What a difference! Even my kids asked if I would make them this way from here on out! However, heating the oven is not my favorite thing to do when it is 110 degrees outside, so I've switched to grilling them. I have a wok-like contraption for the grill and it works wonders! Just a little olive oil and some salt and pepper and grill or roast away!
I think one thing that prevented me from trying this earlier is my memory of fresh green beans from my childhood. I remember growing a bean plant and my mom fixing the beans that came from the plant. I know now that she didn't cook them right--she boiled them for a short time and they were hard and rather icky to a 5 year old. That stuck in my head for so long! Now I only buy canned black beans (for convenience) but green beans have to be fresh!
When you grill the beans in the oven how do you do so? Do you lay them out on a baking sheet? What temp and how long do your leave them in the oven?
Thanks...I never thought of this but it sounds great.
Oh how I LOVE green beans. We go through pounds of them every single week.
I love to roast them. Get them nice and crispy. Like french fries. My whole family adores them like this. MERMON: I lay them on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam, chop up some fresh garlic, spray with a little more spray and add a little salt. I roast them at 425 degrees. Mix them around every now and then, cooking for appoximately 25 minutes or so. And Mermom I see we are the same height. For some reason I'm always glad to "meet" another 5 foot nothing-er.
I also like to steam them with a little chicken consome.
I add to them to my stir fries as well.
I occassionally eat them raw.
Love them. At less then 2 calories a piece I get to eat lots of them at a time - which is a VERY good thing for me.
Put your green beans in a large heated pan with lid, sprayed with cooking spray or with a tsp of olive oil. Toss them about in the hot pan until they are just starting to cook. Then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lowfat chicken stock, cover, and allow to steam.
Meanwhile, mince 2 cloves garlic and zest 1 lemon. Pile together on your cutting board, sprinkle with a pinch or two of coarse salt, and crush together with the side of your knife until you get a paste. Add a couple grinds of black pepper, mix gently.
When the green beans are almost cooked, remove the lid, add the flavor paste, toss, and re-cover until cooked to your liking. Just before serving, squeeze the juice of the lemon over the top and serve.
Lime works too...was in a pinch yesterday with no lemons. Yummy!
Thanks for the ideas, gals. Now I am craving green beans. Robin- I can't wait to try your recipe.
I was shopping with a friend at a thrift store the other day. She had me try on some 9 in platforms. She looked me up and down and said, "You don't need to lose weight, your just need to get taller." LOL
mandalinn - That sounds so yummy! I'll sub veg for chicken stock, but I'll definitly be trying that next time I get beans at the market. Probably this Saturday.
Normally I just steam them until just tender and toss with a smidge of Earth Balance margarine and salt and pepper. I love it when they're in season, the flavor is amazing.
Oooh, yummy ideas, thanks! Oddly enough, I just bought a big batch of fresh green beans (for the first time in years) a couple days ago. So far all I've put them in is my home-made healthier crab rangoon, and that turned out tasty!
Otherwise I just planned to grill them with a bit of pepper, garlic powder (since I don't have any fresh), and maybe some cayenne pepper. I like it hot!
Oh, you'd probably like my picked peapods then! (Which can be made with green beans too - in keeping with the theme of this thread! ) You had a whole dried chili to each pint jar. Always interesting when you open a jar as the hotness factor varies....
steam or boil beans (steamed tastes better, takes longer) til desired tenderness. Drain
Saute sweet onion in butter, EVOO or mixture over medium heat until translucent. Chop fresh basil and cook just long enough for the basil to release its flavor. Stir beans in to coat.
Green Beans with Yukon Golds and Sweet Onion
In the bottom half of a double boiler/steamer put scrubbed unpeeled yukon gold potatoes (cut in chunks) or yellow fingerling and wedges of sweet onion. Cover with chicken broth. Place green beans in top of steamer (or cook separately if you dont have a double steamer insert) Bring to boil, reduce to simmer cook until everything is done. Drain and mix together with S&P and a little butter if desired.
I don't have any exact measurements but it's really hard to mess up. Just go easy on garlic and coconut first time around until you find the amount you like. Most experienced cooks will have a feel for how much they like to use. Also, don't overdo the teriyaki as it's not meant to be a saucy dish.
Fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped
Teriyaki sauce
fresh, sliced garlic
coconut flakes
olive oil
Sautee the garlic and the coconut in a small amount of oil till lightly browned, just a few minutes, really. Add the beans and a few splashes of teriyaki sauce and stir constantly until beans are heated all the way through. 5 minutes should do it (as I like my beans still crunchy).
I love this dish. The flavors combine in a very unique and tasty way. I have also added slivered almonds with the beans. That's gorgeous, as well.
Last edited by Mummy_Tummy; 08-03-2007 at 03:35 AM.
I like my green beans with vinegar. I saute them in a small amount of olive oil (1/2 tsp) with diced red onions and garlic. Then I add red wine vinegar, a tsp or two of worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and kosher salt and cook until the beans are tender and the vinegar is reduced. If the beans dry out before they are tender, I add more vinegar or a little chicken broth.
I also like my green beans pickled. I make dill pickles and lemon rosemary pickles with them. It's a great use for a bumper crop of beans.
I'm definitely going to have to try roasting them; that sounds really yummy.
This Week's Healthiest Food - Green Beans
) You had a whole dried chili to each pint jar. Always interesting when you open a jar as the hotness factor varies....
