I love this amazing recipe from my wonderful friend Tess Masters (the genius behind The Blender Girl). She made these green beans last year at Thanksgiving, and ever since they’ve become my go-to weeknight side dish. It is the perfect complement to an alkaline diet!
Chef’s notes:
The delicious aroma when you sauté the garlic, almonds, and lemon juice makes you salivate, and I have been caught eating the mixture off the wooden spoon before it even reaches the green beans! You really could serve that as a side topping, or stir it through cooked quinoa or millet with some fresh chopped parsley for a quick, easy grain dish.
But back to the beans, because I just love lemon garlic green beans. If you want to make this dish nut free, you could always omit the almonds and some of the lemon juice and olive oil. But I find the raw almonds add a gorgeous crunch and earthy flavour that balances the tartness of the lemons. You could substitute pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds too.
Now, I am a tart at heart, and love a strong lemon flavour, but some people prefer a little less. I would advise adding the lemon juice gradually and tasting. After stirring the lemon almond garlic mixture through the beans, you might find you want to add some more lemon juice.
Either way, this dish is a winner!
INGREDIENTS
- 3 litres or quarts of vegetable broth (I use Massel when I can’t make my own)
- 30 oz / 850 gms green beans
- 1 cup sliced or roughly chopped raw almonds
- 1/4 cup minced fresh garlic
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon rough lemon zest strips
- ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
DIRECTIONS
- Bring the vegetable broth and filtered water to a boil in a large saucepan. Gently blanch the green beans on the vegetable broth for about 3 minutes until just al dente. Drain and set aside. Return to the saucepan.
- In a wok or large deep frypan, saute the olive oil and garlic on a medium heat for about 1 minute. Turn the heat down to low, and add the almonds just to warm slightly. Stir in the lemon juice and finely grated lemon zest.
- Stir this mixture through the cooked beans, and salt to taste.
- Lay beans in a baking dish to serve. Top with rough lemon zest strips for a lovely garnish.
