Zesty fresh green beans—an inventive veggie side

What to do to make the prosaic but healthy green bean a little more appealing and diverse? Fresh green beans are terrific sides—popular with little ones learning to eat their veggies as well as with veteran eaters of the color green. But dressing it up? Seems as though I’m forever short on ways.

The recent Prevention magazine feature that touted “fast and fresh ideas for citrus” gave me some help by suggesting Lemony Green Beans. This played into my hand perfectly since I was armed with a bag of fresh lemons that I acquired in the West, as I’ve bragged about recently.

Sometimes my green beans turn the color of paste as they’re cooking, but the mode of preparation suggested here kept them a brilliant emerald. I cooked them in boiling water for only 5 minutes and then sauteéd them in olive oil in a skillet for two more minutes. Tender and bright to perfection! Tossing in the nuts and lemon zest and then bathing them in a small amount of fresh lemon juice was the crowning step.

A winner of a side—bold and colorful on the table, crunchy and lemony to the taste.

Lemony Green Beans

1/2 pound fresh green beans

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts (I used unsalted cashews)

1 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/4 teaspoons grated lemon zest

salt (I used salt substitute) and pepper to taste

Cook green beans in boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. In skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add beans and nuts. Cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest. Season. Makes 4 servings. (Source: Prevention magazine, December 2011)

Birthday celebration morphs into fiesta with addition of green bean dress-ups

The event was our son's 35th birthday, so he got to choose the menu for his birthday meal. No surprises there; in my head I already had the menu planned because I knew what choices would pop out of his mouth: meat loaf (prepared with lean ground beef this time instead of our usual ground turkey), mashed potatoes, corn bread, fried okra, and green beans—all favorites from his childhood.

With the green beans, however, I couldn't resist a little fancy footwork. I had a new Fiesta Green Beans recipe that called for leeks to be added; I had one extra leek from my earlier preparations (mushroom burger topping and fresh mushroom soup that I blogged about previously). I also had some remaining tomatoes and fresh corn, so my Fiesta Green Beans recipe would use up all of those.

To be safe I pulled aside a small saucepan full of fresh green beans and cooked them the regular, basic way (just a little seasoning tossed in) that I knew he'd like. But the remainder went into the skillet to be steamed along with the leeks, tomatoes, and corn for the green-bean fiesta.

The birthday dinner was a big success. Turning 35 (ah, youth!) is a great milestone; we wanted to mark it appropriately for him. But the best news was, he (and the others around the table) liked the dressed-up Fiesta Green Beans as well. Everybody left happy—our son having been fed with his traditions and me having pulled off the great green-bean experiment.

Fiesta Green Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 leek, sliced thin

2 tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup water

1 pound fresh green beans

3/4 cup corn (cut from cob)

In skillet heat oil over medium heat; add leeks; cook until leeks just begin to brown. Add fresh tomato and water; simmer for 2 minutes. Add beans and corn. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes or until beans reach the desired doneness. Makes 4-6 servings.

Chili-Macaroni makes a healthy timesaver for Christmas rat-race days fast upon us

The clock ticketh in terms of Christmas Month Food Prep. Since Thanksgiving Week next week brings on the start of the Christmas ratrace, the days soon will be mega busy, with almost no available moments for preparing regular meals. I like to have the freezer well-stocked with food at the ready—usually doubles of items I've fixed in November or late October. When the Christmas marathon begins, I'm never regretful of having meals already on hand.

Keeping those meals healthy also is paramount now. In previous years I might have stocked up on such convenience items as rotisserie chickens from the grocery deli, takeout fried chicken, or readymade pizza. But last Christmas was our first year to be on our improved eating plan and to try to reform some of our unhealthy ways. Even the most motivated find Christmas time to be an automatic trap for weight gain, so I've tried to put aside only food items made the healthy way—meals that won't cause us to backslide.

Chili-Macaroni, made from a Better Homes & Gardens website recipe, fell into this category. Hubby and I enjoyed Chili-Macaroni during a November meal and spotted it as a perfect one to make in bulk and freeze for the "December-10K" time fast approaching. I loved the fact that it had fresh green beans and a fresh tomato cooked right into it, so veggies already were a part of the deal, as was whole-grain pasta. At the time I prepared it, I made and froze an extra batch, so it's waiting for a sure-to-arrive December night when the day has been jammed with Christmas "to-do"s and I feel clueless about mealtime that has arrived too soon.

Try as we might, most of us can do little about the fact that pre-Christmas days overwhelm us, but we can feel smug about the fact that meals already are taken care of. Chili-Macaroni joins some containers of Spaghetti Sauce Excellente, Vegetable Soup, King Ranch Chicken, and a few other freezables lying in repose in my deep-freeze right now for some for-sure future mealtimes when I'll be ready to hug them and kiss them just for being there to save my life.

Chili-Macaroni

12 ounces ground turkey

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies

1 can tomato sauce (no-salt added)

1 fresh tomato, choped

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup whole-grain elbow macaroni or bow-tie pasta

1 cup fresh cut green beans

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

tortilla chips

In a very large skillet cook ground turkey and onion over medium heat until turkey is brown and onion translucent. Drain off fat. Stir undrained tomatoes and green chilies, tomato juice, fresh tomato, chili powder, and garlic powder into meat mixture. Bring to boiling. Stir in pasta and green beans. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until pasta and green beans are tender. Top with shredded cheese and serve with tortilla chips. Makes 4 servings.