Recipe: Green Beans with Cranberries and Almonds
Green beans can be quite boring, but I found that with the tang and splash of color of cranberries and the nutty flavor and crunch of almond slivers, green beans are far more interesting and tasty!
Fresh green beans are ideal, however, I realize they may be hard to get in some areas. Frozen green beans can work, too. Retention of a few B vitamins (B6 and B2) in green beans can be as high as 90% even with freezing. Canned green beans lose about one third of their phenolic compounds during the canning process. They lose B vitamins as well but in the case of some B vitamins like folic acid they only lose as little as 10%.
I love green beans with cranberries. Cranberries have antioxidant benefits, anti-inflammatory benefits, and anti-cancer benefits. I throw them in every dish I can. In much the same way as cranberries may help prevent bacterial attachment to the lining of the urinary tract, they may also help prevent attachment of bacteria to the stomach lining. Love them even more!
Servings: 4 | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 6
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup raw sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Prepare an ice bath of water and ice in a large bowl. Drop the green beans into the boiling water to blanch for 60 seconds. Immediately remove the beans and shock in the ice bath.
Step 2
In a large saute pan, over low heat, add the olive oil.
Step 3
Remove the green beans from ice bath and add them to the hot olive oil in the saute pan. Raise the heat to high and cook, tossing frequently, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the nuts and cranberries and reduce the liquid to a glaze while tossing beans, another 2 to 3 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Step 4
Transfer the beans to a serving dish and enjoy!
