SPICY GREEN BEANS WITH
TOMATOES
Wow, this side dish completely surprised us with its uniqueness and the spices greatly enhanced the dish. The spices are not hot spices. Using canned, diced tomatoes versus fresh meant the dish was even richer and the jam-like tomatoes remained brightly colored as a nice contrast with the green beans.
Although this recipe probably goes best with red meat made any way you like, there are no hard and fast rules with sides, to be honest. Green beans are a classic and I have cooked them in a myriad of ways and even made some nice, fancy casseroles which are great for special holidays. My next project will be to cook them in a slow-cooker!
I like to use French green beans and not to have to deal with strings and hard bits or big seeds when I am eating. Green beans should be of a good, darker color, flexible and not tough. I also like my green beans cooked quite soft, but go ahead and cook them tender crisp, if that is how you prefer them.
You can place green beans in the fresh produce drawer of the refrigerator for a week or slightly more. I like to cut the ends off right before cooking them. Since it is a bit of a job, I do it while watching a little TV. I use a kitchen scissors and have a few bowls at the ready.
Good sides when we are low-carbing are very important, as we don't want to have to focus on the starches that we are missing on our dinner plate. Make the low-carb sides interesting, fulfilling to eat and completely enjoyable. Focus on good sides for your meals and you will be amazed how that elevates the meal to something more special and more enjoyable. Green beans are a staple in most households, so I highly recommend trying this side. It is so delicious. I made this recipe again right after the first time I tried it. That gives you some idea as to how good it is, as I am always having to rather than repeat recipes come up with something new and blog worthy. The story of my life for many years now. It is my passion, so I mostly enjoy it. I am getting "old" now, but my passion has not yet died down. Some days I feel older than others but I am firm believer that in acting like a young person with regards to your passions, you could and will most likely feel younger too.
If you like, you can add chopped onions to this dish. It will increase the carbs. Also, I cannot serve my husband cooked tomatoes and onions. It upsets his tummy. So strange, but his mother was the same way.
The flavor of these green beans with tomatoes is out of this world - different and tasty. I guess you would call these braised green beans. I like to simmer this dish until the green beans are more tender. I am not fond of crunchy green beans, but many people prefer that, especially if the green beans have come out of their own garden. I usually boil my green beans, but this works just fine as well and great that it is all done in one pan. If you like spice, you could ass some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. Be careful with both as they amp up the heat very quickly. This dish of mine is not spicy hot but has the most interesting spices in it. You have to try this. You will be happy you did.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp light olive oil (30 mL)
1 tbsp minced garlic (15 mL)
1 lb French green beans, ends trimmed (0.454 kg)
1/2 tsp cumin (2 mL)
1/4
tsp cinnamon (1 mL)
1 tsp salt (5 mL)
1/2
tsp black pepper (2 mL)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (411 g)
1 cup water (250 mL)
INSTRUCTIONS:
In
large nonstick frying pan, over medium heat and in olive oil, cook garlic and green
beans together 4 minutes, stirring often. Add cumin, cinnamon, salt and black pepper. Add diced tomatoes and water. Cook over medium heat, covered, until green beans
are as tender as you like them and most of the water has evaporated – around 10
to 15 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings
1
serving
66.2
calories
1.5
g protein
4.6
g fat
1.4 g fiber
4.6
g net carbs
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