Pan-Fried Green Beans in Tarragon

This is a simple recipe and it seems to be a great way to get vegetables into folks who don’t usually like vegetables, particularly children. The trick to getting it right is to use fresh, crisp, nice green beans and to stir them constantly so that they don’t get burned. Don’t cook them too long, just enough. Keep them bright green and crispy.

Ingredients

3-4 cups of fresh green beans with ends snapped off
2-3 tbsp. olive oil (adjust as needed for the amount of green beans)
1 tbsp. butter (can be omitted for vegans)
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. tarragon
½ tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Directions

Snap the green bean ends off and cut the green beans into lengths of 1-2 inches long. Put the olive oil into a deep-dish frying pan and heat over medium heat for a couple of minutes. If you include the butter, you probably don’t need quite so much olive oil. The butter adds a nice rich flavor, but is not necessary if you are cooking for vegans. Once the oil is hot, turn the heat down to low and add the green beans and herbs.

Cook the mixture on low to medium heat, uncovered, stirring frequently for approximately 8 minutes. If you cover the pan, the green beans will steam and become soggy so leave the lid off. You want the beans to be just cooked, still a bit crispy, but not at all raw. If you need more oil to keep the beans from sticking to the pan then add it cautiously, one tbsp. at a time.

Other optional ingredients to add to the pan with the green beans: ½ a red pepper chopped fine, 8 small mushrooms or one medium Portobello mushroom chopped fine, and/or ½ cup chopped walnuts (these other ingredients are not recommended for picky eaters and children as they may prevent them from eating this dish)

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!