Waist Watchers Special - Asian-Style Green Beans

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Here is a slightly different way to prepare green beans. These Asian-style beans serve as a side dish for the Silver Fox, but I combine them with a handful of rice noodle and make them the main course of my meal. Whichever approach you take, I think you'll enjoy beans prepared in this manner. The recipe, which comes from Fine Cooking magazine, is simple to follow, and my only caution regarding its preparation is the need to exercise care when you blanch the beans. You really want the beans to be crisp tender when they are served, so do not over cook them. In order to preserve their color, the beans should be served as soon as they have finished cooking. You can, by the way, use frozen beans to make this dish. I think you'll like these. Here is how they are made.

Asian-Style Green Beans...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Fine Cooking magazine

Ingredients:
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sliced scallions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 cup drained, sliced water chestnuts
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

Directions:
1) Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat and cook beans until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes; drain and cool under cold running water.
2) Heat canola oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add water chestnuts, red pepper flakes, and green beans and cook until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add soy sauce and sesame oil, toss, and serve. Yield: 4 servings.

                    

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