Tag Archives: green beans

Green Beans with Honey-Mustard Glaze

I love the produce section at the store in the summer because seeing bin after bin of $0.25 summer fruit and vegetables gets me slightly giddy.  And even better, the produce is usually locally grown.  I live in New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia, and in the summers, markets and farm stands go crazy with tons of locally grown produce that you just can’t beat.  Signs everywhere scream “Jersey Tomatoes!” or “Jersey Corn!”  I bypassed both of these this weekend and instead headed for some locally grown green beans which I scooped up by the handful.  I didn’t really have anything particular in mind when I bought these so I can home, scanned my recipes and made Green Beans with Honey-Mustard Glaze.

Fresh green beans are boiled until bright green, cooled, and tossed in a simple glaze of honey, rice vinegar and mustard seeds.  The result was perfectly cooked sweet and tangy green beans.  I have to admit though, as I was making this glaze, I thought Why in the world did I want to make this recipe?  Smothering a vegetable in sticky honey isn’t really the most healthy way to eat, right?  I ended up only using about a third (if not less) of the glaze on these beans (because either I didn’t make enough green beans or too much glaze was made) and actually, they were tasty.  But I was still disappointed, mostly in myself.  This is a typical case of me being too busy worrying about if I liked the ingredients in a recipe, rather than if I would like the end product.   I like honey in my tea and on my biscuits.  Not my vegetables.  And especially not my locally grown vegetables.  Consider my wrist slapped.

The ingredients:

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil and drop in the green beans.  Cook uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender but still crisp. Drain.

Dry the saucepan and return it to the stove.  Toast the mustard seeds over low heat just until they pop, about 1 minute, stirring to prevent scorching.

Add the honey and vinegar and cook until the sauce boils and becomes syrupy.

Add the green beans and toss.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  So-So

Source:  Real Simple Magazine

Chicken and Green Bean Salad

I’m a sucker for creamy, rich, mayonaisse-laden chicken salad.  I love my own homemade chicken salad the best (which I will share with you one day) but I’ve been known to order fattening chicken salad in a restaurant from time to time.  No matter how much I might want to eat it, I really try to watch my mayonaisse intake.  Having grown up in Central Illinois where everything is made with mayonaisse, this used to be more of a task than it is now.  (My dad used to make his own salad dressing with mayonaisse and sugar – ugh!).

After falling in love with and devouring Cooking Light‘s Avocado Chicken Salad, I couldn’t resist trying the mayo-free Chicken and Green Bean Salad.  Steamed green beans are mixed with chicken and grape tomatoes and then tossed in a light mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, whole-grain Dijon mustard, and fresh thyme.  If you don’t have whole-grain Dijon, regular Dijon will work (it just won’t look as pretty).  The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes but I used grape tomatoes (they are smaller and fit onto the baguette slices better).  I also quickly grilled up chicken tenders which I shredded with a fork but using rotisserie or precooked chicken will speed up the preparation.  Seasoned with salt and pepper, this chicken salad is a great option to take to a picnic or outdoor event.  Serve with toasted baguette slices, whole-grain crackers or over a bed of baby spinach and you’ve got yourself a dish good enough for lunch, dinner or as an easy appetizer.  And I bet you won’t even miss the mayonaisse!

The ingredients:

Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil in the over for 1 minute or until toasted.

Steam green beans 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, thyme, salt and pepper with a whisk.

Add chicken, beans, and tomatoes to dressing mixture and toss to combine. 

Serve with toast.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Grape tomatoes

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Sesame-Soy Green Beans

As I mentioned a few days ago, I’ve got an Asian-inspired veggie which makes for a really tasty side dish.  Since I’m pretty picky when it comes to veggies, I’m always looking for different ways to prepare the ones that I like so I don’t get so bored with them, I give up eating them altogether!  What a better way to liven up some green beans than with a little bit of salty soy?  That’s exactly what these Sesame-Soy Green Beans are.  Bright green beans are cooked and tossed with a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes before being sprinkled with nutty toasted sesame seeds.  I don’t know what it is about the combination of soy sauce and garlic but if you put in in a martini glass, I just might drink it.  But I digress…I love bagged veggies (even if they are a little more expensive) because it just helps speed things up but use whatever green beans you like here.  Consider this preparation with other veggies too, like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach or brussel sprouts.  Yum!

The ingredients:

Prepare green beans by either cooking in a microwave according to package directions or on the stove (cook in boiling water for 5 minutes).  Sauté garlic and red pepper flake in sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 30 seconds.  

Add green beans, soy sauce, and salt; cook 2 minutes, tossing frequently.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

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