WIS, WWA | give me green bean ideas
What I Spent
I am currently wealthy in green beans and I need help; see the end of this post.
I spent:
- $30 on a Hungry Harvest box
- $15 at the produce stand
- $25 at Safeway
So, $70.
What We Ate
Saturday
I worked a 12-hour shift, came home, threw on some other clothes, and popped in at my friend's graduation party, which was by the water.
I almost didn't go (I'm always a little tired after a day at the hospital), but I'm glad I did!
Sunday
I made some spaghetti with a ground beef sauce, and I also tossed in some chopped spinach that needed to be used. Fresh Parmesan on top.
Monday
Leftovers from Sunday!
Tuesday
I made what is essentially just these lettuce wraps, deconstructed.
And on the side, some browned sweet potato slices (I'd already baked the potatoes another day) topped with sriracha mayo.
Wednesday
Tilapia, green beans, and mashed sweet potatoes.
Thursday
I went out to dinner with my neighbors, Donna and Hank. 🙂 I'd given them a gift card to thank them for all the yard help, but they insisted that I come out to dinner with them to use it.
Sooo, that's what we did.
Friday
I somehow got a LOT of green beans in my Hungry Harvest box this week, so whatever I make, it's gonna include beans.
(I know I could freeze them but I really do not prefer green beans that have been frozen.)
I usually just saute my beans (like this), but I was thinking of trying something more like these marinated beans. Any suggestions or tips for me?
Green beans are so versatile, here a couple of my favourite recipes (in UK terms)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/phaliyan_and_aloo_sabzi_42788
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tagliatelle_with_green_40430
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spiced_green_bean_and_15394
@Stacey in UK, Ooh, I'm saving these! I planted a ton of beans this year.
A handful of two of frozen green beans goes nicely into a batch of beef stew. It's an easy way to use the frozen ones that you don't care to cook plain.
If you like pickles, make dilly beans!
@MH, I came here to say Dilly Beans though I was pretty sure other people would have suggested it. I love dilly beans and use them as a side any time I'm having something quick like a grilled cheese sandwich or I toss them in a plain green salad and skip the dressing because the dilly beans have so much flavor. I also add them to cheese boards or charcuterie plates (which we do a lot around here).
@Denise, we love Dilly beans too.
@MH,
I enjoy pickles but have NEVER heard of dilly beans...I need to try a recipe! Could this be a regional food favorite, or does the whole world except for my family know about them? I'm from northeast U.S.
@Cherilyn, I live in Maine and never heard of dilly beans till I moved to Maine! I grew up in the Midwest. We like them though don't have them often...just don't think of them unless someone mentions them or someone serves them to us.
@Denise, Love this!!!!
@Cherilyn, https://growagoodlife.com/dilly-beans/
No suggestions for green beans but my usual meal schedule changed this week; I usually make chilli on Tuesdays but switched it to Thursday. On Wednesday I spontaneously got takeout - I was insanely tired, the dishes were dirty and I decided that takeout and a film were what the doctor ordered. It was worth it!
@Sophie in Denmark, I was also extremely tired on Wednesday. I blame it on the weather changes. I'm in Sweden, so not far from you. 🙂
@Lina, Dejlig! I need to see more of Sweden! I really loved Astrid Lindgren as a kid (partly why I came to Scandinavia!).
@Lina, Stockholm is one of my 2 favorite cities in the world, along with Marrakech. I've been to over 90 countries so it beat stiff competition.
@WilliamB, I'm in the very South of Sweden. So not that often in Stockholm. 🙂 But yes, Stockholm is beautiful. We'll, all of Sweden is extremely beautiful now in summer. 🙂
OOh, green bean salad comes to mind. You could skip the wax beans and kidney beans and just marinate them in an Italian style dressing after you steam them a bit. Off the top of my head, I can't remember what all I spent on food this week, but I have been cooking more at home.
M - somewhat weekly Chikfila - I bought a filet and ate a small mac and cheese
T - homemade smashburger on the last two pieces of bread in a loaf it took me forever to eat, sweet potato fries
W - A skillet meal of bone-in chicken thigh and butternut squash
T - I made fish tacos with frozen fish portions, served it with mango salsa
F - Tonight I am making a chopped southwest style salad with some shredded chicken on top. My freezer meals all got eaten up, so I might get a takeout meal for lunch that I can save half for a weekend lunch. Or, Ill get creative and root around in the freezer...
Happy Weekend!
WIS: So far, only $7.50 at the local food co-op. But I'm heading for Price Chopper and Aldi this morning.
WIA: A couple of shrimp salads (including homegrown spinach, organic romaine on sale at the co-op, and tomatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes from my last trip to Aldi) were this week's highlights.
Re: green beans: Most of the time, I marinate them more or less the same way as the recipe you give, except that I usually skip the ice water bath and vary my herbs and spices according to whim. But once or twice a summer, I revert to my Southern roots and simmer green beans with a ham hock or some bacon until they're falling apart. 🙂
@A. Marie,
Although I don't eat them often, I still love green beans cooked southern-style. In the fall when I can find pole beans, I always cook them a little bacon.
You could try a beef and broccoli stir fry, green beans with or replacing the broccoli.
Trofie al pesto!
My local Aldi had trofie pasta this week. So the pasta, pesto, green beans and a little boiled potato. Delizioso!
I spent $113 at Aldi this week, $10 of which was trofie....dinners have been simple this week although I did make a pork loin on Sunday, and egg roll in a bowl on Wednesday.
Do you have a smoker? Some of us like smoking fresh green beans. If you have some fresh mushrooms, throw them in. Onions aren't a bad addition either.
@Jody S., Huh. I never even heard of smoking vegetables. Interesting.
I make Dilly Beans...a whole bean that is kinda like a dill pickle that we like. You can Google for a recipe. No need to can..just store in your frig.
We like green beans roasted on a sheet pan in the oven. Season them with oil, salt, pepper, and some garlic powder. Delish!
@Crystal, this is my go-to as well
I love making green bean and ham soup like my grandma used to make, similar to http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2009/01/schaubel-zup-green-bean-soup.html?m=1 but we don’t add sausage. I also make a simplified version with just onions, a ham steak, potatoes, green beans, and a little broth for more of a stew cooked in a skillet. I grow summer savory just for this soup but I think you could use some thyme or some other dried herbs you have on hand.
Definitely try putting your green beans on the grill. I par boil them first. Then you can drizzle with olive oil, melted butter and/or any seasoning you prefer. Wrap them in aluminum foil and grill. I usually just spread them out on the foil, cover with another piece of foil, pinch all the sides together to form a packet and then just shake it now and then to make sure they are cooking evenly. They only take about 5-10 minutes if you have par boiled first.
Definitely Dilly Beans, if you're into pickles. And if you're not, stir-fry with pretty much all green beans.
Saturday: I found some very thin elk steaks in the freezer, which I browned and cooked in a tomato sauce, and then added asadero cheese (my mozzarella substitute) to the top. And then pasta with pesto--last of last year's pesto, so my tiny basil plants need to step it up--garlic bread I had made the day before, and (ha) still-frozen green beans.
Sunday: Today's freezer find was an old lamb loin. I browned that, sliced it, and returned it to the pan to finish cooking in a sauce made with the last of the tomato sauce from the previous night's elk. We also had leftover rice or pasta, pureed calabaza from the freezer or more frozen green beans, and brownies my daughter mostly made herself.
Monday: I got home just before dinner from a trip that involved a grocery store, so while I was separating the big packages of chicken drumsticks and thighs I got, I tossed some of those onto a pan with salt, paprika, garlic powder, and a bit of maple syrup, roasted until done and then broiled until crispy. I had some plain cooked pasta left, which I microwaved with butter, cream cheese, and garlic powder for the children. And I was too tired to prep a vegetable, so I just put out the grapes I bought at the store.
Tuesday: I wasn't home for dinner. My children got themselves leftover chicken and pasta. My husband had a can of beef stew. I had some cottage cheese and home-canned peaches when I got home.
Wednesday: I had cooked a couple of bags of bony ram pieces the day before, just simmering them so I could pull the meat off. I used that meat, plus the ram broth, to make chili. I had also made gingersnaps the day before, so there were cookies after dinner.
Thursday: I got eggs from a couple of people and now have several dozen, so scrambled eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, grape tomatoes. And cottage cheese and peaches after dinner.
Tonight: I found an old package of cube steaks when I was switching over things to my new freezer (yay!), so I think I'll use those to make grillades, something my New-Orleans-raised mother used to make. I don't have grits, so I'll make rice, which will use up the rest of the ram broth in the refrigerator. And maybe I'll finally have thee motivation to make an actual salad for my family, rather than just random raw vegetables thrown on a plate. 🙂 I have to harvest more lettuce today, so I need to use it faster.
@kristin @ going country, your meals sound delicious!
@Julia Tracey, Thanks. They were pretty random and low-effort for the most part this week, but tasty nonetheless.
Remember, you can also toss some green beans in a salad, along with the lettuce, tomatoes, etc.
The lady I used to babysit for (as a teen) taught me how to make a chilled green bean salad, except she used canned French-cut green beans. She drained the can, put the beans in a casserole dish, and marinated them in Italian dressing. Put 'em overnight in the "fridge," as she called it, and by lunchtime, you'll have a chilled, tangy side dish. Not sure if it'd work with fresh green beans unless you slice them super thin.
I really love garlic roasted green beans tossed with lemon juice and parmesan.
@Becky, roasted green beans are so good! I eat them like french fries.
Yes to dilly beans. Two more ideas:
- salade niçoise - traditionally with tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives and anchovies or tuna, dressed with olive oil, or a vinaigrette. Lightly steamed green beans go perfectly as a veggie base.
- mock Thai green papaya salad. Usually made with long green beans and a few tomatoes pounded in a mortar and pestle with shredded green papaya and a spicy sweet dressing. Goes great with meat or fish. I’m sure it can be hard to find green papaya, but I wonder if something like a mix of Asian pear and carrot might be a decent replacement.
@Kat, I meant to say Nicoise salad as well. So good. I love your mock papaya salad idea.
My dad has green green beans every year in his garden and he still brings me a mud bucket full of them. This is how we are then growing up:
Cook some bacon in a huge pot.
Throw in the green beans.
Add an inch or so of water.
Cover.
Cook for hours.
You can also add some salt and pepper and new potatoes. You cook them until they are falling apart. It is so much different then canned green beans. These just sort of melt in your mouth. I look forward to them ever year.
That should say, eat them.
@Faith, great minds run in the same direction (see my note above about reverting to my Southern roots). Actually, my mother never cooked them this way, but my best friend's mother next door did. I used to go over there sometimes just to smell the beans cooking on the back of the stove.
@Faith,
I make something like that, but add a bit of sweetener and vinegar for sweet and sour green beans. You can thicken juices with a little bit of flour. There are endless recipes on line.
@Faith,
My beloved mother in law made green beans this way...sometimes with with bacon or ham, sometimes not, but cooked for hours. They were incredible.
I enjoy cooked and cooled green beans mixed with sesame oil, salt and sesame seeds (preferably black).
This week, we spent $66 ($40 @ Aldi, $11 @ Trader's Joe's, and $15 @ Cub) and we ate:
- Salad of spinach, strawberries and toasted almonds with poppyseed dressing
- Mixed nuts and raspberries (it was a grazing kind of day and these were the last things I ate, so I'm calling that dinner)
- Fajita bowls
- Farro-tofu-chickpea-veggie-herb salad (x2 - with the second time in a tortilla wrap)
- Veggie egg rolls with homemade sweet chili sauce
- Blueberry wild rice pancakes
This is essentially the same recipe my family loves. Mine is from my 40 yr old Better Homes & Gardens cook book. We make it all the time!!
https://www.food.com/recipe/herbed-green-beans-50658
Look up crack beans on Pinterest.
My daughter in law made them on Easter and I could've easily eaten the whole bowl and I don't like green beans!
PSA: There's a lot of ingredients.
@Patricia,
I've made those, too
Always a big hit.
I like my green beans tossed with a little lemon and dill. This time of year, I love green bean salads. It nice to have salad ready made in the refrigerator that can go in a lunch box and eaten cold. Here are two that are similar to ones that I have made.
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/fresh-green-bean-salad-with-balsamic-dressing/
https://food52.com/recipes/33185-potato-green-bean-salad-with-lemon-dill-aioli
If these don't appeal to you, there are a lot of salad options online or you can make one up.
I'm a big fan of roasted veggies, so easy and delicious! Here's a recipe for you to try:
https://www.loveandlemons.com/roasted-green-beans
This recipe is summer yummy. Feel free to sub the saffron for Aleppo pepper or maybe even zaatar.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/saffron-chicken-boiled-lemon-and-green-bean-salad-recipe-1948212.amp
All my ideas for green beans are pretty much already given here so I don't have anything to add. Of course, my favorite which is also already stated, is green beans cooked a long time with a ham bone. Yum.
Off-topic: Something we ate when I was young and I never see mentioned anywhere anymore: "shelly beans", which were green beans too mature to cook the pods - they would never get tender - so we shelled the mature beans and discarded the tough pods and cooked the shelled beans with the green beans, long and slow.
WIS: I didn't get to shop as I normally would, due to car trouble. I spent about $172 including a farm order, but I could have spent less if I'd been able to get to some other stores without worrying.
WIA:
Finished up some leftover chicken schnitzel with - green beans (!)
Pressure cooker "roast" chicken with green peas and mashed white potatoes with gravy. I had that twice. It's been a chicken-y week.
I also used cooked chicken and some broccoli in a stovetop semi-version of mac n' cheese, using cassava flour macaroni.
Picadillo over rice, with fruit and some raw carrots on the side.
Last night I thanked my daughter for the use of her car (I got mine back yesterday afternoon - let's hope it is truly fixed) by taking her to the oyster house where she got blue crab claws and I had grilled oysters. I had a baked potato and cole slaw on the side, along with the ever-present hushpuppies and guava jelly.
@JD,
I love hushpuppies, but I've only had them a few time since I became GF 12 years ago. Most of the restaurants in my area use regular flour in the hushpuppy mix, but DS1 had made them for me when he had fried fish.
Have you ever tried pickled green beans? My mom made some once, with lots of garlic. And oh my. They were so satisfyingly crunchy and vinegary. Highly recommend this experiment 🙂
@Reese,
Do you blanche
them first? And are we talking about a quick pickle where you don't have to can them?
Green beans are my kids' favorite veggie! And my favorite recipe blog has a lot of good recipes to use them in. Here are some of our go-tos:
Sheet Pan Kielbasa, Potatoes, Green Beans - this was on weekly rotation when they were toddlers!
https://www.budgetbytes.com/sheet-pan-kielbasa-potatoes-and-green-beans/
Potato & Green Bean Skillet - similar to above and easy to add whatever protein you have
https://www.budgetbytes.com/potato-and-green-bean-skillet/
Blistered Green Bean Rice Bowl - with an egg, so it should feel normal to you!
https://www.budgetbytes.com/blistered-green-bean-rice-bowl/
Sesame Glazed Salmon & Green Beans
https://www.budgetbytes.com/sesame-glazed-salmon-and-green-beans/
One Pan Salmon Dinner - another yummy salmon option
https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pan-salmon-dinner/
Sesame Roasted Green Beans - great side for lots of yummy proteins. Maybe your katsu chicken?
https://www.budgetbytes.com/sesame-roasted-green-beans/
And these Dragon Noodles are just SO good and so versatile - we often add ground beef and broccoli or green beans. Definitely make extra sauce!
https://www.budgetbytes.com/spicy-noodles/
I eat green beans three ways:
1) raw, I like the crunch;
2) air fried - toss with a tiny bit of oil and spices of choice (mine are garlic and salt), and air fry for 10-12 min at 400F; or
3) braised with soy sauce, garlic, and a bit of oyster sauce.
We often make our green beans with an Asian twist, by using sesame oil to saute them. Delicious.
Things we've eaten this week:
-Pizza after graduation (last night)
-Barbecued chicken, Mac & potato salad (Wednesday)
-Ground beef, tomato rice bowls - x2
-Hot dogs & watermelon
-Can't remember the last meal
As for tonight, my parents are visiting, so DH is making steak & I'll make a caprese salad.
WIS: $158, largely at Aldi, with side trips to Food Lion, Walmart market and Dollar Tree. This was my big shopping week.
WWA: Leftover bacon-wrapped meatloaf with a tangy tomato glaze (a long ago Cook's Illustrated recipe). Roasted chicken thighs seasoned with Penzey's Outrage of Love blend, which is nicely spicy. Side dishes were fresh veggies and grapes. Also made chicken salad with some of the roasted chicken and there were ham and tomato sandwiches for those who wanted them.
Pickled beans are really good and can be stored in the refrigerator for a while.
I know I spent about $60 this week, but I didn't keep track of what we ate. I did actually feel like prices were a bit lower this week. The news has been saying this for a while, but as someone that is in a groceyr at least two times a week, I wasn't seeing it. But, this week I actually did on items I regularly buy.
I wasn't working much this week, so I had lots of time to cook. One of my favourite was to eat green beans is goma-ae! It's sweet, salty, and nutty. I also like green beans amandine.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/green-bean-gomaae/
Sunday: We were flying home from a bat mitzvah so we bought food at the airport. Not ideal, but that's how the timing worked. My daughter and I shared fish and chips, and Mr. B got a wrap.
Monday: Chicken soup (frozen broth, vegetables, frozen chicken breasts) and herbed matzah balls. I buy large packs of chicken, divide them, and freeze, but frozen chicken is not always as nice as fresh. I followed the poaching instructions from Recipe Tin Eats and the boneless, skinless breasts came out amazingly well!
Tuesday: Chickpea curry on rice and a simple vegetable salad.
Wednesday: Rice and Thai green curry with chicken, baby corn, and squash. I accidentally bought coconut cream instead of coconut milk, but I just use much less and dilute it with water.
Thursday: grocery store takeout pizza and some little cherry tomatoes from the plant Mr. B bought for my daughter.
Friday: Mr. B will make us salmon, vegetables, and he'll pick up a challah.
Share the green bean wealth with Donna and Hank. Take out what you can reasonably eat fresh and share it. Maybe make them some of the dilled green beans or just share as is?
@LeAnn, a great suggestion!
pickled green beans. We have a fresh jar of pickled asparagus in the fridge right now. If you want my ancient brine recipe from my friend's g-grandma, it is easy and tasty.
WIS: $98 @costco, $27 @ winco, $38 @ restaurant supply, $14 @scratch and dent
WWA
Sun - work, I still host family dinner @ the farm, I just eat when I get home (my commute is 90 min on a good day) this week is Portland's rose festival and the traffic is ugh.
M - grilled a steak, green salad and roasted veggies
T - Asian cabbage salad, grapes
W - big shopping day, wok fried veggies over rice
Th - chuck roast, mashed potatoes, gravy & green beans. Invited neighbor th dinner to celebrate his b-day, chocolate chip cookies with two extra rolls of dough for him to take home.
F - beef noodles, green salad
S - I am taking this weekend off and going on a 6 family camping trip to the coast. Fishing, crabbing and beach walks. My happy place.
When our CSA box is overrun with green beans I usually turn to these recipes:
https://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/asian-ground-turkey-and-green-bean-stir-fry/
https://ifoodreal.com/salmon-stir-fry/
https://brooklynfarmgirl.com/crockpot-kielbasa-and-green-beans/
Pesto pasta with potatoes and green beans
Friday: Second night of my son’s tournament but we made it home in time for dinner. My husband cooked Greek Bowls for dinner – chicken, chickpeas, brown rice, spinach, tomatoes, feta.
Saturday: My son had a sleepover so we picked up two Aldi pizzas to feed the teenage boys in the house. I also baked some buffalo chicken tenders and served fresh veggies.
Sunday: Slow Cooker Round Steak with potatoes, carrots, and caramelized onions.
Monday: Spinach Feta Meatballs with brown rice.
Tuesday: Malaysian Beef and rice (leftovers from an office lunch)
Wednesday: Ham and Cheese Sliders with Baked Potato Soup
Thursday: Another game night – I picked up Wendy’s for my son and myself on the way home, my husband had leftovers at home.
Sat - local fast food chain (think on par with Culvers sans some deep fried dinners). Ballpark lunch sucked and I will tactfully complain that a top ten MLB team evidently cannot handle simple, classic ballpark food. The fries were inedible - some type of potato like product with a coating that was grease laden.
Sun - neighbor hit a milestone bday with an event at a local venue. A nice variety of catered finger foods, more than enough to make a meal. Better half made himself a pizza
Mon - crock pot round steak w/potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, carrots
Tue - takeout 2 for $7 gyros and leftover hash brown potatoes from better half’s social event dine out breakfast.
Wed - leftover pizza (from Sunday plus the freezer) for better half, rest of round steak and veggies for me. We both had a salad.
Thu - on sale Barbacoa with cheese, lettuce, avocado, beans, sour cream on tortillas.
Fri - burgers (no cheese for me) with Grillo’s pickles, onions, and mayo with fried potatoes.
Sauté or steam fresh green beans. Pour in one jar of red pasta sauce. Eat over pasta. Really only good with fresh green beans.
Weird I know. Husband is Italian. It’s very good. It’s also good with no pasta and just a side dish with spicy sausage or porketta in slow cooker.
Ooh, I've been eating green beans lately. Here's my favorites: First, with a recipe idea from Cook's Illustrated: Caesar Green Beans. They have a recipe where you make the dressing and the croutons, but I've been pushing the easy button and using pre-made caesar dressing and tossing with par-boiled beans, croutons, and parmesan cheese. This can sit in the fridge for a day or two as well.
I also like sauteeing them like you do, but with Asian flavors. Add some ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and soy sauce to the pan instead of your herb butter.
Lastly, they're a great filler addition to other meals. Any dish that's getting sauteed can benefit from a handful of beans added near the end of cooking. I make a simple kung pao chicken with rice but throw in an extra handful of beans (snipped in half if they're long).
You could do a quick green bean pickle with some brine from a dill pickle jar. It works best with straight beans. Just trim them to the height of a wide-mouth pint, allowing about 3/4 inch at the top so you can cover them fully with brine. Put them in the fridge for a few days, perhaps up to 10 days. They make a great snack or a side for a sandwich.
@Karen., yeah, I clearly didn't read comments before I typed. lol. This is dilly beans but fast.
I remember when I was a kid everyone rich or poor would make green beans and new potatoes two or three weeks after the plants had finished flowering.(usually sometime in June) Creamy dreamy good stuff.
100% love to do this with too many green beans: pickle them in a dilly pickle juice -- either leftover from pickles, or make your own with vinegar, salt, fresh or dried dill--we use these instead of olives in martinis, and call them Beany Martinis. The juice is also good for making it a Dirty Martini. Crisp, salty, sour, and then with gin or vodka? Yes, Ma'am. I usually do this with green beans that got too big on the vine but any fresh green bean will do.
I like this recipe for black pepper tofu and green beans: https://shortgirltallorder.com/black-pepper-tofu-green-beans
My husband (the cook in our house) puts slivered andouille sausage on top of the green beans, wraps them in tin foil and bakes them...delicious!
@Viktoria, ooh, this sounds tempting! How long does your husband bake them, and at what temperature?
In the summertime, I oven- roast green beans with tomatoes and onions with salt, pepper , olive oil and fresh basil or oregano. I also use green beans in my beef stew but that’s usually in colder weather.
Pioneer Woman Spanish Green Beans
3 slices bacon
1/2-1 onion, diced
1-2 pounds green beans
1 can(14.5 oz) whole tomatoes
Cayenne pepper to taste, optional
Salt and pepper
Slice the bacon up into 1 inch pieces and start cooking them in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Keep cooking until bacon turns brown. Meanwhile, dice 1 medium onion. When the bacon is beginning to brown, drain some of the fat ( or not!) and then add the onion. Cook, stirring now and then, until bacon and onions are both turning a nice golden.
Add the green beans right into the pan with the bacon and the onions. Next, throw in the can of whole tomatoes with their juice. Stir around gently and then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 45 minutes.
When they are finished cooking add cayenne pepper to taste up 1/4 of a teaspoon for a hotter dish. Stir gently and serve.
(Check for doneness after 30 minutes. )
Try roasting the green beans- a little oil, salt and pepper and towards tge end of the cooking time, sprinkle with some Parmesan.
I like spicy pickled green beans in Caesars (Clamato - based drink, similar to a bloody mary). WWA:
Saturday- leftovers
Sunday - grilled hamburgers, corn on the cob, oven fries
Monday - lemon chicken piccata, rice, corn
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - slow cooker sausage and tortellini soup, garlic bread
Thursday - chicken skewers, tzatziki, and chopped cucumber and tomato all wrapped in a warm naan (easy and good)
Friday - the plan is leftover soup (and hmmm, maybe a Caesar to go with?)
Wishing everyone a pleasant week ahead
I love pickled (and canned) green beans, or any veggie assortment. My husband's family from PA call it chow chow.
Do a quick pickle recipe to use your green beans! They'll keep in the refrigerator for a month or more. I just made spicy pickled squash using a recipe I found online and it was great. Or combine them with black beans and garbanzo beans and make a three bean salad.
I spent $66 at Kroger
Sunday – grilled strip steaks baked potatoes, sauteed collards from our garden with bacon, onion and garlic.
Monday – grilled chicken marinated in raspberry vinaigrette, corn and black beans salad, leftover sauteed collards from Sunday.
Tuesday – hot dogs, tater tots, leftover corn and black bean salad
Wednesday – boneless pork chops sauteed with onions, gravy from a pkg mix, rice, frozen green beans.
Thursday – hubby ate a big late lunch so wasn't hungry. I ate at small sliced turkey and cheese sandwich on a pita. Later we ate yogurt ice cream bars I made.
Friday – I'm making sheet pan beef and broccoli with egg rolls.
Saturday - we'll have doctored up frozen pizza with a salad made with lettuce from our garden.
Oh my goodness, I just had some pickled dilly green beans that were so fantastic! They are perfect for nibbling on and make a fun side item or addition to a crudite platter. Maybe you could try making some of those? I didn't make them, so I sadly do not have an awesome recipe to share.
Lightly steamed green beans with halved grape tomatoes and fresh raw corn right off the cob. Add some lemon pepper, minced shallot, EVOO and lemon juice. I can have just that as a meal.
Sweet and sour green beans with bacon and onions. Works great with frozen, canned or fresh beans!
We often stir-fry green beans with any combo of onions/scallions,, red pepper, and mushrooms we have around. And some protein- chicken, beef, pork, tofu. Lots of stir fry consumed in this house!
I just saved this recipe:
https://www.marthastewart.com/1528364/marinated-artichoke-and-green-bean-pasta-salad
Also, I love a thai curry with green beans and chicken. You can buy the curry paste and add coconut milk or sometimes you can find a simmer sauce.
I do love raw green beans as a crudite! Make bean salad … it’ll last for at least a week. Last, do cut up several cups and put them in the freezer. They go well in soups and stews.
PS My grandma advised to freeze cooked green beans. They seem to taste better than cooking frozen beans.
A simple variation on the sautéed garlicky beans is to add SMOKED PAPRIKA —add a teaspoon (or more) to the oil as it heats. Game changer!
I love green beans raw (cut in salad or just by themselves plain or with dip or hummus) or roasted (EVOO, S&P, garlic and/or Parm if you're feeling fancy). Basically I just let the beans show off with very little extra.
At Thanksgiving, my family goes crazy over bacon wrapped green beans bundles. We normally use canned (whole) green beans. Wrap 4-5 beans with a half slice bacon, lay on a baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. The recipe calls for making a brown sugar sauce but it’s too soggy for me. Bake in the oven until bacon is crispy (and beans are as done as you like). We never have enough and they’re one of the first items to go. SO yummy!
I love Ground Pork with Green Beans stir fry with steamed rice on the side. You can use whatever soy sauce,Asian sauce and whatever onion,garlic,ginger etc that you have. It is a restaurant quality dish.
I add the green beans to a slow simmered sauce with little meatballs. My husband’s grandfather always made this with mini meatballs and it was the best thing he ever made !!
I suggest making "Ejotes a la Mexicana" if you want to mix up your green beans. These have been my favorite side rotation for "Mexican food night" at my house. They are cheap, delicious, and taste even better the next day! Highly recommend pairing with picadillo and Mexican red rice!
https://mexicanmademeatless.com/mexican-green-beans-ejotes-a-la-mexicana/#recipe
This is a family favorite. I use ground pork, and peanut oil, but a vegetable oil would work just fine. The amount of green beans you use is pretty flexible, too (a little more or a little less is no big deal), and you can make it as spicy (or not) as you like. Yum!
https://catzinthekitchen.com/2017/01/szechuan-green-beans-pork.html
I use them in a niçoise, and a variation:
Cook a couple of potatoes, or more small potatoes, cut 1" or bite size, then add 1/2 as much green beans to the pot for a few minutes.
Drain, then add the dressing:
Equal amounts of olive oil and lemon juice ( about 1/4 cup each), 1 tsp oregano and rosemary, 1 clove garlic, grated, salt and pepper to taste, shaken together.
Vegan so far.
Vegetarian if you top with 1/2 cup grated feta.
Great warm or cold.
Tastes better the next day.
Darlene in Toronto
At Thanksgiving my FIL always makes fresh green beans sautéed with garlic and mushrooms. Simple but they taste like heaven 🙂
My mom sautéed French-cut green beans in olive oil with chopped onions, minced garlic, Italian spices, salt, and pepper. She added tomatoes of some kind (whatever’s available) and cooked it on low heat until the beans were very tender. I’ve put the sautéed mixture in a crockpot and cooked it all day on low. This tastes great on a hard roll alone or with cheese! It can also be a side dish.
In the Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook by ATK is the very best recipe for Garlicky Green Beans. You start by cooking six cloves of garlic with a little bit of sugar and olive oil in the microwave until softened and go from there.
I did not do well with meals this week, but I did not drive through or eat out either, or go to the grocery store. It was all a rather scrappy affair. Last night, I resorted to a bowl of oatmeal before I went to bed. I've been working outside a lot. Today I got my free donut at Casey's for donut day and got their King Hawaiian BBQ Beef Brisket Sliders. Oh, my goodness!
I do have peaches (Farmer's Market), nectarines, apricots, cherries, and a pineapple (Misfits), and strawberries from the neighbor's patch. I'm drowning in fruit that needs to be worked up! I'm going to slice the peaches and nectarines (sprinkle with fruit fresh to keep from browning) and cut up the strawberries and freeze all for shortcake next Saturday. Our family is used to using a sweetened pastry crust, broken up rather than sweet biscuits or cake. Real whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top of that. I hope to make a clafouti with both the apricots and cherries.
Growing up we ate Ham and Greenies, which was a stew of a meaty ham hock cooked in water with green beans and new potatoes. Yummy!
Easy way to prep green beans: air fry in the toaster with some onion or shallots then toss with a little bbq sauce or any sauce you like when cooked
Parmesean green beans:
Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with parmesean cheese. Bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes.
Marinate or pickle the beans, steam until crisp/tender and then add stuff.
Pizza beans are yum:
https://www.food.com/recipe/italian-green-beans-176613
If you like peanut sauce: green beans and peanut sauce go well together.
I love green beans!! I do them in stir fry weekly. I love Trader Joe’s shiitake garlic green beans so I’d probably do a variation on those, or onions & coconut aminos. I feel there’s really no wrong way to eat them
I personally love the spicy stir fried green beans that you get at Chinese restaurants, here are two recipes from online (I've made before at home but have no idea what recipe I used, I'm sure I just googled)
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/247349/spicy-szechuan-green-beans/
https://soufflebombay.com/pf-changs-spicy-green-beans/
Hi, I make green beans with ground meat, you can follow this recipe:
http://www.thismuslimgirlbakes.com/2016/01/keema-curry-with-green-beans-jalapenos.html?m=1
This is my favorite way to eat green beans https://minimalistbaker.com/1-pan-garlicky-green-beans-with-slivered-almonds/
Curry basil noodles with green beans, if you like Thai food.
An old family recipe: heat green beans in a skillet while slicing Vienna sausage into coins over them. When hot, add eggs and black pepper and stir until eggs are cooked.
You can try Turkish style green beans with olive oil. It is a very popular summer dish. It's basically green beans, onion, tomatoes, garlic, a bit of sugar (to offset bitterness of olive oil) This is the closest recipe I saw on the internet. You can adjust the amount to your liking. If garlic is not your thing, leave it out.
https://youtu.be/rYnpTXb9okc
You could try blanching and stirfrying, or blanching and making a salad with tuna and capers.
I'll go read the other suggestions now!
I was raised southern, we grew and ate green beans a couple of times a week. The smell is home to me.
Often she would cook them with bacon but I'm not a fan of this.
Sometimes she would not use the bacon but cut up potatoes and cook with. These are so good.
They are good with cornbread dumplings put on top during the last of the cooking time.
An older neighbor would cook them, drain them, and add butter and milk. It sounds strange but it's really lovely. I fix these when I'm in need of comfort.
They are good added to mac-n-cheese, and most noodle and rice casseroles.
I make green bean salad with Italian dressing, mushrooms, pasta, and chicken.
It's always good to have a glass of tea and a sliced tomato with green beans.
I would do three bean salad.
I used green beans in my veggie tacos this week and they were really good. In the summer when the garden is giving me more than I can handle, I eat veggie tacos every day, sometimes twice a day (I love tacos!). I just cut a bunch of whatever veggies I have on hand really thin so they will cook quickly and saute them with olive oil, salt and pepper until tender. Then I add them to corn tortillas (also quickly seared in a pan) with a little cheese, sometimes beans (pinto or black), sometimes salsa or cilantro crema. My favorite veggies to do this with are yellow squash, delicata squash, zucchini, poblano peppers, jalapenos, eggplants and radishes. But shaved brussel sprouts and fresh green beans are also good and occasionally sweet potatoes if I have planned ahead as they take longer to cook! If you're stingy with the cheese and olive oil (they don't need much) this is a really easy healthy meal and helps offset the ice cream I indulge in all summer long! I keep a gallon sized bag of prechopped veggies in the fridge as my daughter also loves them so they're really quick to make. They will generally last about a week for me in the fridge like that. I also like the veggies sauteed like this on top of a salad with beans or a fried egg or other protein. It's a really good way to turn your veggies into fast food by having them pre chopped and on the ready!