Recipe #26 - Snow Mountain Green Beans

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I needed a side for my Recipe #27- Parmesan-Potato-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Tomato-Zucchini "Salsa". Green beans were my first choice. However, I haven't been having very good luck with the green bean recipes. So, I thought I'd give it another go.

This recipe I found at AllRecipes.com. The name was what caught my attention, yes, I thought it was cute. Yet, it seemed very bland. So I took the concept and added a little twist.

Begin by rinsing and then snapping off the ends of the fresh green beans. Using a steamer, place the beans in a large pot with about an inch of water at the bottom. Bring to boil for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter and oil in a pan over medium heat. Once melted, saute garlic and shallots until shallots are transparent.

Drain green beans and add to pan with garlic and shallot mixture. Add salt and pepper. Stir for 3-4 minutes. To serve sprinkle with feta cheese.

Once again, not my favorite, but everyone else loved them. I'm still on the search for the best green bean recipe!

Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 7
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh green beans
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra vigin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium sized shallots, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup feta cheese

Recipe #9 - Green Beans w/ Almonds

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To my defense, I was making this the same night as the sliders when the electricity went out. I, fortunately, was able to complete the sliders, but had to stop in the middle of this recipe.

I started by lightly toasting the almond slivers in a dry skillet, stirring constantly because they can burn easily. This takes 3-5 mins. 

Heat butter in skillet over medium-low heat. cook and stir shallots and red bell peppers until softened, about 8 mins. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper to taste and reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the shallots caramelize, 5 to 8 minutes.

Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer, and bring the water to a boil. Add the green beans, cover, and steam until just tender enough to pierce with a fork, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the green beans, place them into the skillet with the shallot mixture, mix well, and gently stir in the toasted almonds.

Now, I had to refrigerate the beans and caramelized mixture (due to the power outage) before I could mix them together. So the next day in the daylight, still with no power, thank God for gas stoves, I finished steaming the beans and mixed them together. Topped with the almonds. 

It was surprisingly very bland. I added garlic salt and more pepper once they were on my plate and it helped a bit, but something huge was still missing. I can't tell if it was the two part preparation of the food or if it's lacking more seasoning. Anyways, not my favorite. So the search is still on for a good steamed green bean recipe.

Time: Would have been 40 mins.
Rating: 2
Serves: 4
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 5 small shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped