Lemon & Garlic Green Beans

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Blanch green beans in a large stock pot of well salted boiling water until bright green in color and tender crisp, roughly 2 minutes. Drain and shock in a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and the butter. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans and continue to saute until coated in the butter and heated through, about 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

Green Beans with Toasted Pecans

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 pound green beans, stem ends removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecans on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until fragrant, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, set a steamer basket in a large saucepan. Fill with enough water to come just below basket; bring to a simmer.
•  Place green beans in basket; cover, and steam until crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes.Transfer green beans to a serving platter; drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with pecans. 

Recipe found at: http://www.marthastewart.com/313553/green-beans-with-toasted-pecans?search_key=Green%20beans

Green Beans with Lemon and Pine Nuts

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

• Cook beans in a 4-quart saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes, then drain well in a colander. Transfer to a bowl and toss with nuts, parsley, zest, oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Green-Beans-with-Lemon-and-Pine-Nuts-232986#ixzz2LSBW39n8

 

Green Beans with Almonds and Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of (fresh or frozen) green beans, trimmed
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Method

1 Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and transfer them to a large bowl of ice water, cooling them completely. (The ice water will shock the beans into a vibrant green color.) Drain the beans well. At this point you can make the beans a day ahead and store in refrigerator.
Alternatively you can steam the beans for 5 minutes and proceed directly to the skillet.
2 Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in half of the fresh thyme (1 Tbsp), the Dijon mustard and garlic salt into the butter. Add the beans to the skillet and toss until heated through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and the remaining 1 Tbsp of thyme.

Yield: Serves 8.

Recipes found at: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/green_beans_with_almonds_and_thyme/