Christy's Green Bean Bonanza

HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenChristy's Green Bean Bonanza

Skill Level	Easy

Preparation Time	10 minutes	Total Time	15 minutes
Servings	6	Cost Per Serving	$0.70

2 cups	Green Beans, tops trimmed off
1 clove	Garlic, thinly sliced
1	Red Chili (optional), thinly sliced
1 stalk	Lemon Grass
2 tsp	Sesame Oil
2 tbsp	Sliced Almonds, toasted
2 tsp	Sesame Seeds, toasted
1 tsp	Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
To taste	Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Bring a pot large pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt.
In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add sesame oil. Add chili and garlic.
Add green beans to the boiling water and cook for about 60 seconds.
Remove the par-cooked green beans from the boiling water and immediately transfer into the sauté pan. Season with a pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.
Crush the lemon grass with the back of your knife, cut into two pieces and add to the sauté pan. Place lid on top and cook for another 2 minutes.
Transfer beans from pan to plate and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, almonds and a squeeze of lemon juice.

PDF link to nutrition facts table for Christy's Green Bean Bonanza

Green beans are rich in carotenoids, the type of health-promoting plant chemicals we usually see in bright orange vegetables such as carrots. Even though green beans contain the same amount of carotenoids as orange vegetables, we don’t see the orange colour due to the high concentration of chlorophyll in green beans.
One of the carotenoids in green beans is lutein, which research has shown helps protect against cataracts and macular degeneration, or worsening eyesight due to aging.
Green beans lose some of their antioxidants during the boiling process. For this reason, try steaming or blanching to avoid losing nutrients. Because the canning process uses heat, frozen green beans are often higher in nutrients than canned versions. Better yet, go fresh whenever possible for better texture or “snap”.
Lemongrass may prevent the growth of bacteria. It is also thought to help relieve pain but more research is needed in this area. Lemongrass may promote menstrual flow, so to be on the safe side, avoid lemongrass during pregnancy.