Out of curiosity, I checked the weather in Boston one week after the marathon:
Ah…those “what ifs”. Do they get us anywhere? No. Are they worth the time thinking about them? No. Moving on…
Green Beans – an all around favorite.
A healthy side dish with a touch of CRUNCH. I used toasted brazil nuts to top this healthy side but if you are allergic to nuts, a good substitute would be toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
What’s so healthy about this dish? Well, we have the green beans which have a higher antioxidant capacity than similar foods in the pea or bean family. They also support cardiovascular health and have anti-inflammatory benefits. More information here.
We also include the baby bella mushrooms. Portabella mushrooms are low-calorie, fat free, and high in protein. They’re an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. More information here.
Of course there is the Sunflower oil which is a good moisturizer (if you’d rather use it on your skin than cook with it), rich in vitamin E, folic acid, magnesium, tryptophan, and contains a HOST of additional nutrients.
Finally the brazil nut. The brazil nut is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids that helps to lower bad cholesterol. It’s high in selenium, a good source of vitamin E, B-Complex vitamins, and other minerals such as manganese, iron, zinc, etc. More information HERE.
Green Beans with Baby Bellas – serves 4
- 12 oz fresh green beans
- 10 oz Baby Bellas – cleaned, peeled and sliced in 3 slices
- 1 tsp Sunflower oil
- 6 – 8 Brazil nuts, chopped then toasted
- salt and pepper to taste
Microwave the beans for 2 minutes while heating the Sunflower oil in a large sauté pan.
Add the green beans to the heated oil in the pan, add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and toss around. Cook for 5 – 6 minutes on medium heat.
Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook until desired tenderness of the bean. *Ours was done just right after about 5 minutes.
Toast the brazil nuts. *Brazil nuts have a high fat content and you need to watch these carefully, Don’t burn.
Sprinkle the toasted nuts over beans and enjoy.
Green beans are one of my favorites. What’s your favorite bean?
I’m sorry the weather changed after the fact. No good! But this dish looks just about perfect. Thank you for sharing. I’m sitting next to my puppy and eating a perfectly ripe peach. Your blog post was a fitting addition to a wonderful afternoon.