green beans

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August – Greek Green Bean Salad

This easy salad would also be excellent with other cooked vegetables, zucchini comes to mind. I came back from a week away with a plethora of both green beans and snap peas harvested by my assistant gardener husband, I used a mixture of both.

Greek Green Bean Salad

Greek Bean Salad

Add cooked white beans or garbanzos or even canned tuna for a complete meal. Since I have a family member that doesn’t enjoy feta, I added a slice when serving rather than mixing it into the salad. This salad is certainly vegetarian but could be vegan if you leave out the feta and anchovy.

Ingredients:

Green Bean Salad

  • 1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, or mix of green beans and snap peas
  • ½ of a medium red onion, minced
  • ½ cup feta cheese (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh minced mint leaves (or oregano)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
  • ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, well drained
  • Additional mint leaves for garnish

Vinaigrette

  1. ¼ cup olive oil
  2. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  3. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  4. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  5. 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  6. 1 garlic clove finely minced
  7. 1 finely minced anchovy (optional)
  8. Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Bring a pot of well salted water to boiling. Add the trimmed green beans and cook until crisp tender. The time will depend on the size and freshness of your beans, mine were cooked for 6 minutes.
  2. Drain in a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking. Spread on a layer of kitchen towels or paper towels until completely cool.
  3. Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar and shake until well mixed.
  4. Place the cooled green beans, cherry tomatoes, chopped red onion, chopped fresh mint or oregano leaves, and olives in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and place the feta, either crumbled or sliced, on top.
  5. Garnish with additional fresh mint or oregano.

This salad can be made hours or even a day ahead. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Greek Bean Salad

Greek Bean Salad

It makes wonderful leftovers…if you have any left.

Greek Bean Salad

Greek Bean Salad

This would be a wonderful side for any kind of BBQ. We served it with a simple grilled chicken marinated in olive oil and lemon juice.

I am taking this to Fiesta Friday #342 hosted by Angie. Please add your own post to the link party and don’t forget to link your post to FiestaFriday.net and the cohost, so you can be featured. Your cohost this week is Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

November – Dry Fried Green Beans
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November – Dry Fried Green Beans

One of my favorite dishes on the menu of a Chinese restaurant is also one of the most ubiquitous, Schezwan green beans. In my opinion, Wild Ginger in Seattle makes the very best version, at least the best I have ever eaten. There is a recipe floating out somewhere on the internet and I have made it in the past to rave reviews, but it has a large list of ingredients including minced pork. I have been looking for a version which can be cooked quickly mid-week and is vegetarian. I found it in the cookbook Lucky Peach presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes, the same book which contains my Yum sauce.

This recipe is easy, quick, nutritious, and delicious. I found all the ingredients in my pantry. Sambal oelek is a ground chili paste, substitute chili flakes if you don’t have it. The recipe calls for a wok but I used a large skillet and it worked out fine. Don’t use one that is non-stick because you have to fry the beans at a high temperature.

Sambal oelek

Sambal oelek

Dry-Fried Green Beans

  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil (I used grape seed oil, you need one that can handle high temperatures)
  • 1 pound of green beans, trimmed but left whole
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 1/4 cup of chopped scallions
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sambal oelek or Sambal (or 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes)
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Kosher salt to taste
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Leave it in the pan until it starts to smoke.
  2. Add the green beans and stir-fry until they start to shrivel and turn brown (see photo below), this will take about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

    Dry-Fried Green Beans

    Dry-Fried Green Beans

  3. Turn the heat to high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallions. Stir fry for a few seconds, then add the sambal or chili flakes. Add the green beans, soy sauce and sugar to the hot pan. Toss until the beans are coated with the sauce and heated.
  4. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.
Dry-Fried Green Beans

Dry-Fried Green Beans

Delicious!

 

May in the Kitchen – Green Beans with Spinach and Seedy Mix
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May in the Kitchen – Green Beans with Spinach and Seedy Mix

Green beans with spinach and seedy mix

Green beans with spinach and seedy mix

The seedy mix will add a crunch to many vegetable dishes. The green colors in this dish are very peaceful and the seedy mix adds flavor and crunch. The inspiration for this recipe came for the cookbook “Seven Spoons“. It is based on an Indian green bean subzi or vegetable dish. Feel free to use the black mustard seeds called for in the original recipe, or add some black mustard seeds to the seedy mix. I think that would be rather nice and I might do that next batch.

Green Beans with Spinach and Seedy Mix

  • 1 lb of green beans, trimmed and cut into 4 inch pieces if large
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1/2 package of baby spinach or a large handful, washed and dried
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons of seedy mix
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add the green beans and blanch until bright green but still very crisp. For my beans that was 4 minutes.

    Green beans

    Green Beans – blanched

  2. Drain the beans in a collander and run cold water over to cool. Spread out on a fresh tea towel.
  3. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute gently for about 5 minutes until softened.
  4. Add the garlic and continue to saute, stirring, for another minute.
  5. Add the drained green beans to the pan and cook until tender, perhaps another 2 to 5 minutes.
  6. Turn off the heat in the pan and add the spinach. Stir until wilted.
  7. Add the seedy mix plus salt and pepper to taste.

    Seedy Mix

    Seedy Mix

Transfer to a warm serving dish prior to serving, this is also good at room temperature.

Green beans with Spinach and Seedy Mix

Green beans with Spinach and Seedy Mix

Just in case anyone needs another suggestion for the seedy mix, I’m taking this to Fiesta Friday #67 to share with Angie and the other guests.