Eat What You Love Recipe File
Lemony Green Beans with Toasted Almonds
By Chef Owen May with Michelle May MD from Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh green beans
1 teaspoon butter
1 ounce almond slivers
1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)
Directions:
1. Trim off the ends of the beans.
2. Place beans into a pot and fill with 1 inch of water.
3. Cover pot and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to simmer and cook to desired tenderness, about 10 -15 minutes.
5. While beans are cooking, toast the almonds in a dry pan. Shake or stir frequently until they just start to turn golden. Remove almonds from the hot pan or they may burn.
6. Drain the beans, then add the butter, stirring to melt and coat the beans. Stir in lemon juice.
7. Place beans in a serving dish and garnish with the toasted almonds.
Nutritional Analysis per serving: 36 Calories; 2g Fat (33.3% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 11mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat.
Chef's Notes:
If possible, purchase green beans at a store or farmer's market that sells them loose so that you can sort through them and choose the beans of best quality. Purchase beans that have smooth feel and a vibrant green color, and that are free from brown spots or bruises. They should have a firm texture and ‘snap' when broken.
Store unwashed fresh beans in a perforated plastic bag kept in the refrigerator crisper. Whole beans stored this way should keep for about three days.
Just prior to using the green beans, wash them under running water. Remove both ends of the beans by either snapping them off or cutting them with a knife or clean kitchen scissors.
Doctor's Notes:
Green beans are an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, and fiber. As with most vegetables, fresh is best! If they are stored too long they will begin to lose some of their nutrient value, flavor, and quality. If you cannot buy fresh and use them within a few days, frozen is second best.
Choose sweet potatoes with a deep orange color for the most food value. In fact, the most nutritious fruits and vegetables have deeply colored flesh.
Family Notes:
Kids can help sort and select the best beans from the store - and they love to snap the ends off of them!
Your Notes:
Please send an email to Chef Owen, Owen@AmIHungry.com with your testing and tasting notes, suggestions, and ideas.