Today I’m sharing another recipe that resulted from my venture into produce home-delivery. The delivery service that wonderfully dropped off fruits and vegetables at my front door is called Green BEAN Delivery, and true to their name, they did, in fact, bring me some green beans… 

So I did a little googling, and I settled on a hybrid of a few recipes that looked appealing.

Would I normally go to the trouble to cook actual food on a Thursday night?  No, not normally.  Normally, Thursday night is reserved for having an adult beverage and eating a giant bowl of popcorn in celebration of the fact that it is Friday-Eve. However, this week is unique. This week I’m forcing myself to use all those delivery vegetables (to prove to myself that I’m deserving of this service) and I’m also forcing myself to make daily posts until the end of April.  (Next week I shall likely return to my well-balanced weeknight dinner schedule, alternating between popcorn and eggs, sometimes both.)

So, in any case, I’m glad I tried these because I must say I quite enjoyed them.  I wouldn’t always go out seeking green beans, but maybe I’ll turn over a new leaf.

With some soy sauce, vinegar, a little sugar, and spicy red pepper flakes, they’re tangy, spicy and sweet all at once.  And you can make them as spicy or… “un-spicy?” as you want.

Best of all – they look decent enough, you could even EVEN serve them to company.  Without embarrassing yourself.  Yes, clearly I didn’t bother to trim all the little stems.  Sue me.  Quit judging.  Like you’re never lazy?

Without further ado…

Quick Asian Style Sauteed Green Beans

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp corn starch
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb. fresh green beans
• 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds

In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, corn starch, salt, and pepper.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Swirl in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then saute garlic, green onions, and crushed red pepper briefly until fragrant.  Add in green beans, stir to coat, then cover, intermittently stirring for 4-5 minutes.

Uncover, then stir in soy sauce mixture and saute for one more minute. At the last minute, add sesame seeds.  Plate green beans, then drizzle remaining sauce over the top.  Enjoy!

Have a Happy Friday everyone!!