Simple Green Beans

It was 8 pm and my stomach was growling and the fridge was looking decidedly empty. I had just finished a yoga class, so my hunger was exacerbated by the ache in my muscles. I had a bag of green beans from our farmer's market, so I decided to give them a try. Typically, green beans are prepared in 2 steps. First, you boil the beans and then, plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. I am not a big fan of this kind of beans - they seem too tough and not flavorful enough.

Last night I cooked my beans a little longer than typically recommended - 5-7 minutes. And I didn't plunge them into an ice bath - it's too much work and I don't like the result anyway! In my recipe, the beans are cooked a bit more and are thus softer. And they are warm when you pour over the sauce, so they have a chance to absorb it. I'm not proud to admit it, but I ate the whole thing right then and there. It didn't even make it to the plate - and I mopped up the remaining sauce with bread. This is also an excellent side dish for beef.

Simple Green Beans (Haricot verts)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of green beans, cut off ends, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/4 red Vidalia onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove

5-7 tbsp olive oil

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preparation:

Boil water in a medium pot and add the green beans. Boil for about 5-7 minute until the beans start to be tender but still nicely green. This is just past the bright green stage. Pour off the water and add the beans to a mixing bowl. Add the onion. Put the garlic, olive oil, salt and lemon juice into a food processor and process until the mixture is uniform. Pour the sauce over the bean and onion mixture. Mix and serve.