Category: Green Beans

This bowl is a template – use different grains like quinoa or farro or use different veggies. You'll have extra of the rich yet bright sauce to put on any leftover grains or vegetables, meat, etc.... Read more »

This bowl uses bean thread noodles aka mung bean, cellophane, glass or vermicelli noodles made with mung bean starch, as its foundation. The sauce is a light one that you'll also use to marinate the tofu.... Read more »

These are quick to make and addictive! They are a variation of Szechuan green beans you might find in a Chinese Restaurant in the U.S. By all means add a teaspoon or more of spicy chili crisp instead of the chili flakes if you have it on hand.... Read more »

Fresh green beans cooked in well-salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes are so good. Enjoy as is or with some aioli.... Read more »

Talk about a template; minestrone is a bean and vegetable soup and, loosely defined, can use any bean, any shape of pasta (or no pasta), most any vegetable and herb, meat or no meat (diced bacon or a little sausage is good, added when cooking onions) be hearty and stew-like or light and brothy. For me, what makes or breaks minestrone are the beans and the bean broth. You can certainly use canned beans but home-cooked beans with their broth are what gives minestrone its richness and complexity.   Dishes like these are why I try to keep cooked beans (in their broth/cooking liquid) in the freezer and at the ready. It makes a soup like this, that cooks in 20 minutes, taste like it's been simmering for hours--in a good way!   Variations A variety of vegetables are well-suited for this recipe and can be used individually or in combination, such as: a bunch of leafy greens, such as chopped kale or spinach 2 cups trimmed and chopped greens beans 1 cup shelled peas and/or diced fennel 2 cups diced zucchini If adding pasta, use the smaller volume for small pasta shapes like tubes, as pictured, little elbows, orzo, or the larger shells, etc. Any type of garlic is great in this recipe, such as 1 head new garlic, 2 stalks green garlic or garlic scapes, thinly sliced. Vegetable broth or water are a great substitute for bean broth if unavailable or in a pinch. ... Read more »

--Inspired by Seductions of Rice by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid   Indian pilafs are made by sauteing onions and some spices, then adding rice and more vegetables (in this case) and sauteing again before adding liquid, then covering and cooking and then finishing by steaming, off the heat. The result is a beautiful, deeply flavored, fluffy dish that can stand on its own or be a robust side dish. Feel free to experiment with different vegetables or just use a single vegetable.  ... Read more »

This dish is very similar to this one that uses a classic pesto. Here, however, you skip the nuts, you roughly chop the rest of the pesto ingredients and can make it even if you don't have enough basil for a proper pesto. You can also skip the potatoes and just use green beans. ... Read more »

This is a variation of an egg salad crossed with panzanella--the Tuscan bread salad. It's really nice combination for a summer lunch or supper. Feel free to add shelling peas, add other herbs, skip the bread dice and serve it on toast in stead or omit bread entirely. ... Read more »

This salad is a mix of sweet, sour, crunchy and chewy and is beautiful to boot. You can substitute other nuts or toasted seeds but include something crunchy--it's key for the success of this salad.... Read more »

I take the idea of Salade Nicoise and adapt it all summer long, i.e. take fresh and/or cooked vegetables, good Oregon Albacore (usually canned), and hardboiled eggs, drizzled with an herby and/or creamy dressing, as a complete, fabulous dinner. You can also skip the tuna as it's fabulous without too.   Quantities can be adapted to suit your needs and can be varied in all ways. You just want enough dressing for everything so scale that up if you’re using more vegetables.... Read more »

A friend shared this recipe and it is a perfect summer dish when cucumbers are prolific. It's a nice one-dish meal with minimal fuss.   It serves quite a few so halve the recipe if you’d like. I like to make it with cucumbers and green beans but carrots cut into matchsticks or thin half rounds, briefly cooked, would make a great substitute if that's what you have. ... Read more »

--adapted from Bean by Bean by Crescent Dragonwagon   When you next bake some sweet potatoes, bake a few extra. And if you already have cooked black beans on hand or cans in the pantry (or the urge to make a big pot of beans to use for then and freeze the rest) then this will be a very simple dish to pull together. The green beans add color and texture and the combination is just too good not to make. And you'll have dressing left over and it is good on grains, meat, eggs, roasted veggies. . . .   This hearty salad is perfect for pairing with a spicy main dish like jerk-style chicken, tofu or eggplant and it’s a great lunch on it’s own.   Serves 4 to 6... Read more »

I ate this dish in Southern Italy (Calabria) many years ago. When all the ingredients are at their peak it’s a wonderful, simple dish. Use any kind of pole bean; green, wax or Romano. Serve with bread and some cheese and you have dinner. It is similar to this dish, however, this one is a bit more robust thanks to the potatoes. ... Read more »

I have made variations of this Thai-inspired curry for many years. It's not an authentic green curry but a tasty, quick adaptation.   The curry is even better if you have makrut lime leaves--sometimes found in grocery stores and typically in Asian grocery stores. They freeze perfectly so if you see some buy plenty and freeze for future curries. But don't worry if you don't have any. A squeeze of fresh lime juice to finish is a nice alternative.  ... Read more »

This is a classic Italian combination (sometimes beans and potatoes (diced fairly small are added to pasta with pesto – which you can certainly do as well though this recipe omits the pasta) and is wonderful either warm or at room temperature.   New potatoes (however many you want to use), scrubbed but not peeled and cut into medium chunks and gently boiled making sure not to overcook.   Green beans (however many you want to use) cooked in well-salted boiling water for 4 minutes, then drained and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Cut the beans into 2-inch lengths before or after cooking.    However much pesto seems appropriate to dress the vegetables somewhat generously, thinned with a little of the hot potato/bean cooking water. Be careful not too thin it too much though so add cautiously.    Toss everything together in a large bowl or platter. Taste and ddjust for salt and pepper. ... Read more »

  This dish is so much greater than the sum of its parts. I ate beans this way in Calabria, in Southern Italy.  All you need is a little patience and some good green beans and a few tomatoes. You'll want to eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner--possibly topped with a fried or poached egg.   This dish is wonderful with the wider, flat Romano beans as well as any kind of pole or bush bean. And make as much or little as you want but it does reduce down quite a bit and is so good that you'll want plenty!... Read more »

Simple, delicious, pretty.... Read more »

This is a delicious, summer salad I learned in Southern Italy, though I added the cheese. The family I lived with in Calabria just served the beans with mint, olive oil, and salt. I serve this dish with another salad or a frittata or hard-boiled eggs and good bread as a simple supper.  ... Read more »

--adapted from Bean by Bean by Crescent Dragonwagon   A different twist on chicken salad and lovely for a summer meal. You may have dressing leftover and can use it on boiled potatoes, or with any number of vegetables, raw or cooked or with albacore tuna as well.  ... Read more »

I love green beans and wax beans and most any kind of pole or bush bean. Green beans are incomparably good when they are fresh and have not traveled far from plant to table. I always eat the first of the season, simply blanched (for 3-4 minutes in well-salted water) dipped into homemade mayonnaise or aioli. Summer!   Some people love green beans raw but I prefer them cooked, either quickly as for dipping in said aioli, or slowly and long as the Italians do, stewed with tomatoes and garlic. And of course they're wonderful pickled or blanched and added to a salad.   They keep fairly well in a plastic bag in the refrigerator but their flavor and texture diminish with time so eat them as soon as you can or blanch them and then store them in the fridge for a few more days.... Read more »