Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

This is the other side I chose for our holiday dinner from Gina's Skinny Taste. I have decided that pretty much anything roasted is going to be delicious :-), and these were too! Much, much better than the typical green bean casserole in my book, but I've never really liked it to be anyway (shhh).

Ingredients:
12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
2 tsp olive oil
kosher salt + fresh cracked pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp shredded parmesan

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum for easy clean-up.
Lay green beans out on the baking sheet and drizzle oil over them.
Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and toss to evenly coat.
Spread them out on the sheet so that they all lay flat and place on the lower third section of your oven.
Bake 10 minutes, shake the pan to turn; bake 5 additional minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Creamed Bean Casserole

This is a dish my Grandma makes for our special occasion dinners and I always LOVE it! In fact I love it so much I have avoided getting the recipe because I knew I didn't want to know what was in it to make it so delicious :-)...and I was right. Sometimes we have to live a little though and holidays are definitely the right time, so make this to go with your Christmas dinner and you won't regret it!

Ingredients & Directions:

1 small bag frozen baby peas
1 bag frozen cut green beans
2 bags frozen baby lima beans
*Cook, DRAIN, salt and pepper

8 oz whipping cream
8 oz mayonnaise
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
*Whip the cream and then fold in mayo and cheese.

Mix the beans and the creamy mixture together and place in an 8x8 dish.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Green Bean Casserole

This recipe is from the always delicious Pioneer Woman. She posted this recipe right before Thanksgiving and I was dying to try it! It just looked SOOO much better than the traditional thanksgiving beans (which I don't love) and it is. In fact I ate it as my main meal by putting it on top of rice. It isn't super healthy of course, because most of PW's recipes are not super healthy, but definitely super tasty :-)! Definitely try this one...maybe when you are having people over for dinner so you won't eat all the leftovers like me!

Ingredients:
* 2 pounds Fresh Green Beans, Ends Cut Off
* 4 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/4 Inch Pieces
* 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
* ½ whole Large Onion, Chopped
* 4 Tablespoons Butter
* 4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
* 2-½ cups Whole Milk (I used 1 1/2 cups 1% milk)
* ½ cups Half-and-half (I used 1 1/2 cups cream)
* 1-½ teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
* Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
* ⅛ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
* 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
* 1 jar (4 Ounce) Sliced Pimentoes, Drained
* Extra Milk For Thinning If Necessary
* 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Directions:
Cut green beans in half if you like pieces to be a little smaller.
Blanch the green beans: drop them into lightly salted boiling water and allow green beans to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain beans once they’re cool and set aside.
Add bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon for two minutes, then add diced onion and garlic and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bacon is done (but not crisp) and onions are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a separate skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and half and half. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts. Turn off heat.
Add pimentos to pan, then add bacon/onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour over green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with panko crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and panko crumbs are golden.

Oriental Green Beans

I was on the hunt for a new vegetable side to try when I saw this recipe on Peachtree Cooking. These are SOOO good! All I wanted for dinner that night were these beans. They are definitely my new favorite side and so easy to make too! I've already decided I'm making them again next week :-)!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. oriental sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:
Steam green beans for 3-4 minutes. (I used a Ziploc steam bag...love those!)
Combine soy sauce, oil, and sugar in small bowl.
Spray wok or 10" skillet with cooking spray, or small amount of oil.
Add garlic, cook for one minute.
Add green beans, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
Add soy sauce mixture, continue to stir and cook a few more minutes until beans are brown and yummy (but not soggy).

Mom's Green Beans

My mom has always been a green bean lover...I, on the other hand, have grown to appreciate them :-). Recently though I have really been loving them, so I finally asked her how she does it! Whenever my mom makes them when we are over for dinner, the girls can't get enough of them, so I figured I may as well start making myself every once in awhile. Tonight was our first attempt and they were DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:
- canned green beans
- butter
- Goya All Purpose Seasoning (with the RED cap)
Directions:
- Dump beans into sauce pan with a generous amount of butter (I put 1 1/2 T. for 1 can of beans tonight).
- Season with Goya salt and pepper...lots of both, to taste.
- Let the flavors mix together and enjoy!

Thai Chicken Curry

This recipe comes from Jamie's Cookbook and it is DELICIOUS! I seriously had to come upstairs to get away from it and stop eating :-)! Thai inspired dishes are definitely her speciality, so check it out (most are gluten free too). Yum, Yum, YUM!!!


Ingredients:
- 1 large chicken breast
- 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (I used 1/3 and was pleasantly surprised, we are not raisin lovers over here!)
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into wide slices
- 1 medium tomato, cut into thick 1 inch pieces
- 1 bunch asparagus or green beans, ends cut off and then cut into thirds (I used green beans)
- 1 1/2 T. Thai red curry paste
- 1-2 t. curry powder
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t.pepper
Optional Ingredients:
- pineapple
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup water (I added the water and a little more curry powder to provide some extra sauce and was glad I did!)
INSTEAD OF CURRY PASTE: 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne

Ingredients:
- Cut chicken into thin strips. Season with curry and broil on low, DO NOT overcook as it will simmer later.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan. Saute onions first, add asparagus/beans, then add tomatoes.
- Add the following ingredients one at a time and taste it as you go: raisins, curry paste, coconut milk, curry powder, salt, pepper, chicken.
- Simmer and taste and re-season until you can't wait anymore. (I thought it was great as is)
- Serve with steamed rice.