Veggies, veggies and more veggies.

There is something to be said for a weekly market bag and bi-weekly veggie bin from local folks. Mainly that it takes a lot of time to process said veggies. Phew! The avenue of crazy veggie and fruit time has intersected with avenue of crazy work time and thus, Tired Jen is tired at the end of her day. 

Spouse has about had it with my stocking the freezer as at this point, to get to anything, requires an archaeological expedition and/or a degree in engineering so that you aren't avalanched by frozen cherries or corn. 

To not feel like a complete slacker, I'll post my new favorite method for fresh green beans. Found a recipe for garlic green beans, which I "hacked" by using olive oil instead of butter. I probably also added extra garlic because that's how I roll. 

It's a great and also a really, super, easy peasy way to process a bunch of green beans. 

I adore green beans. There's something very soothing about snapping the ends off by hand and then when you steam/sautee/cook them, they turn from such a pretty matte green to a bright emerald that gleams from whatever you've added to the pan (oil, butter, garlic, etc.).

I prefer mine a bit more crunchy than Spouse. His preference, to me, is mushy. My preference, to him, is raw. Potato, potahto, as they say. 

Needless to say, I normally just make these for me to take as a delicious side for my lunches but you could serve them to up to 4 people. 

Penelope Casas' recipe is:
- 3/4 to 1 lb. fresh green beans
- 1 T butter (again I used organic olive oil, about the same amount though)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed (HA! I laugh at your 1 clove and raise you to 4 or so, plus, I mince mine)
- Coarse salt

After snapping the ends off of all the beans - which I call Vegetable Therapy - and giving them a good wash, heat up a large-ish pan with a nice dollop of olive oil (or the butter or oily concoction of your choice).

Result of Vegetable Therapy - the end pieces and beans that looked icky

When the oil is hot, toss in the beans and toss about so they all get a little bit of oily love. This is where it gets dicey, because depending on how al dente, crunchy or mushy you like them - cook them until they are the right consistency. For me, it's 5-8 minutes.

Halfway through, I add my minced garlic so the oil and beans soaks in the yummy garlic taste but it doesn't burn. I do like the garlic to get a little brown though, so again, adjust to your preference. 

After the beans have reached maximum yumminess, remove them from the heat and salt (and/or pepper) to taste. 

That's it. They are delicious. And garlicky. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. 

Do you have a favorite veggie and 

a go-to-easy-peasy way to cook said veg?