Adventures in Pinterest Cooking #3

A good friend kindly reminded me that I have got to step up my blogging again. So I decided to spend my Saturday cooking some recipes from Pinterest and preparing some blogs so I am not missing from the blog world for weeks at a time anymore. So this Adventures in Pinterest Cooking is dedicated to my friends Michelle C. Thanks Mishl for getting me back on track. :)

I had some fresh green beans in the fridge that my mom brought back from the farmers market last weekend so I went searching for some easy green bean recipes that were healthy options. Of course Pinterest and Skinnytaste did not disappoint. I found this easy recipe for String Beans with Garlic and Oil that is only 1.5 PointsPlus per serving.

First I had to completely empty out all of the cabinets looking for a large saucepan that also had a matching lid. Even though I am not a great cook I do know the basics and I know that if you are steaming veggies you really need the lid of the pot to have a good seal, otherwise you won't get a good steam. So I searched and finally found a matching set.

Next step was to bring 1 inch of water to a boil and drop a steamer basket in with the green beans. While the green beans were steaming, I attempted to thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic. (The recipe calls for 4, but I only had 3/4 lb of green beans so I used a little less on the garlic and oil). My garlic slicing skills need some work, but they came out ok. I also started heating the oil in a saute pan.

 

After that everything started happening at once. The green beans finished in about 4 minutes (I wanted to make sure they were nice and crisp) and I starting browning the garlic in the saute pan. 

Once the garlic was lightly browned I added the green beans to the saute pan and tossed thoroughly. Voila! Easy String Beans with Garlic and Oil. 

I think they came out really good! Of course this was a very simple recipe, but it was easy enough that I could make it as a side dish while cooking a more difficult main entree. The green beans were nice and crisp and I loved the crunch that the thinly sliced garlic gave to the recipe. I added some salt and pepper for seasoning but the garlic really steals the show. 

So on a closing note, I guess I better go clean up the kitchen. As easy as that recipe was, I managed to make it look like a tornado ripped through the kitchen. :) 

Happy Labor Day Weekend!