Vampires Be Gone

“These are not cooked all the way!”  Those were the words that came out of my dad’s mouth when my husband and I first served him Garlic Green Beans.  You see, when he thinks of green beans, he thinks of southern style green beans.  You know the ones I’m talking about (I know all of my fellow “southern” readers are shaking their heads and smiling right now)… the ones with green beans cooked down almost to mush and served in a gooey concoction of lard and butter.  They might be green beans, but they are far from good for you when swimming in rendered pig fat.

Remember how my mother-in-law has a food blog?  Yeah, she’s a pretty darn good cook.  Thankfully, my husband was her little shadow in the kitchen.  Silently watching and learning the tricks of the trade.  Learning the ins and outs of adding flavor and “oomph” to food, learning to sauté, flambé, and all of the other cooking techniques you might hear Bobby Flay or Rachel Ray use on the Food Network.  He managed to do all of this while simultaneously being all things boy: climbing trees, playing baseball and setting things on fire and blaming his younger sister (What?  I’m convinced all boys are pyromaniacs).  He’s well rounded to say the least.  

While he was growing up learning to dazzle in the kitchen, I was growing up around a creek bank or lake side, fishing (and throwing them back), riding shotgun to the firehouse, and watching late summer thunderstorms form with my dad.  I had no desire to be in the kitchen with my mom making fried chicken, for it was too gorgeous outside to be stuck inside over the stove.  And so she let me be my dad’s little shadow, never once telling me I needed to learn to cook or insisting I needed to help her fix dinner.  She let me be wild and free and never pressured me to fit the “girl” mould.  

So I grew up, eating my vegetables (and by vegetables I mean southern green beans and mashed potatoes) and my husband grew up eating his (Carrots, peas, green beans, corn, you name it he probably ate it).  And after we grew up, we fell in love (awwww, right?!).

Now of course we had the customary household shower where we get all of the necessities a couple will need to start a home together.  While our collection of cookbooks, flatware, pots and pans was growing it was apparent which one of us could actually use this stuff and I will tell you… it wasn’t me. 

I’ve come a long way in the cooking department thanks to step by step directions, trial and error and a very patient husband.  I’ve also come a long way in expanding my vegetable repertoire.  But I still need things to taste good.  Not good for being a vegetable but just plain gooood.  So, I bring you one of my favorite side dishes that my husband makes:  Garlic Green Beans.  Don’t panic.  It’s so easy, *I* can do it.  They are very, very tasty.  This is one of those dishes where I actually want seconds.  Or thirds.  If you are struggling to get your husband/wife/son/daughter/dad/mom/Ewok to eat their veggies, try making these.

Garlic Green Beans

You will need:

Chopped Garlic (as much or as little as you prefer, I happen to love it)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Green Beans, trimmed

Large pot (for boiling water)

Sauté pan

Ice bath (a bowl of ice water big enough to put the green beans in)

1.  Bring water to a boil and toss in the green beans.

2.  Cook the beans for 5-7 minutes until they turn bright green.

3.  Remove the green beans from the boiling water and drop them into the ice bath to blanch them.

**If you are in a hurry (or if boiling water isn’t for forte) you can get the steam in bag green beans from the grocery store and skip the first 3 steps all together.

4.  In the sauté pan, cover the bottom of the pan with Olive Oil and toss in the garlic. 

**You can buy pre-chopped garlic in jars at most grocery stores to save you a step here as well.

5.  Bring the pan up to medium heat and start to brown the garlic (Don’t get the heat too high, you don’t want to burn it)

6.  Toss in the green beans.

7.  Use tongs to move the green beans around the pan periodically, coating them in olive oil and garlic goodness.

8.  Once the green beans have heated through again, they are ready to eat.

9.  Enjoy a heaping helping (maybe two!)

Hmm… there was something else??  Oh yeah!  I promised you a two week weigh in!  Drum roll please….

Beginning weight (3/19/13):  139 lbs

Weight today:  136.6 lbs

All in all, I love the way I’m feeling right now.  I did enjoy a southern style specialty dessert compliments of my preacher’s wife on Easter Sunday (can’t turn down a meal, especially one made with love, remember!?), but everything else has remained Paleo. 

Now if you will excuse me, I’m off to The Fresh Market.  It’s 2.99 Tuesday!