Sichuan Green Breans

 Having an abundance of green beans and tomatoes in your garden is not a bad problem to have. It gives me a reason to search for new interesting recipes instead of the usuals. Tonight's dinner was spaghetti and tomato confit with toasted bread. Now just to find something to do with these green beans... Ah-ha! I found a perfectly intriguing recipe in Cooking Light! I didn't follow it exactly though. 

Sichuan Green Beans

1 pound green beans, clean & trimmed

1 T. olive oil, divided 

1/4 C. chopped shallots (I used scallions & yellow onion)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. fresh ginger, peeled & minced

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1 T. Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar

1 T. soy sauce

  

Cook beans in boiling water for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and pat with paper towels to dry. 

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 1 1/2 t. oil to pan; swirling to coat. Add green beans; stir-fry 3 minutes or until browned. Spoon into a bowl. 

Add remaining 1 1/2 t. oil to pan; swirling to coat. Add shallots (or onion of choice), garlic, ginger, and crushed pepper flakes; stir fry 15 seconds or just until garlic begins to brown. Return green beans to pan. Add vinegar & soy sauce, tossing to combine. 

We thought they were yummy! I could really taste the ginger, which is a nice change. They were pretty easy to prepare. I'm not sure if it's really necessary to have that many steps though. Next time I might not remove the beans from the pan before adding the last few ingredients. Like I said, they were good but I wouldn't say they were my favorite. They may taste better with rice and even with some other vegetables. 

God bless you all,

Chef Teebs