We’re big into leftovers. Part of this helps us justify spending more money on the ingredients and part of this helps provide tasty meals even on busy work days.
And… well, to be totally honest, one of us likes leftovers more than the other. Said left-over-liker may like them most because of the first reason and may use the second reason to appease the other — but we aren’t quite sure. In any case, we temper this mild conflict by making new side dishes to make the leftovers seem fresh again.
The green beans below were made on a busy work night. They were supremely easy and quite delicious.
Japanese Green Beans
1/2 lb green beans
2 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp + 1 tsp tamari
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 packed tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large garlic clove
Start by toasting the sesame seeds in a smidgeon of sesame oil. Then set a pot of water and salt to boil. Get a bowl of ice water ready. Once the water is boiling drop in the green beans for about 2 minutes. After two minutes immediately drain and put the green beans into the ice water.
Combine the tamari, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and garlic into a small bowl. Heat the 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan on medium heat. Toss in the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sauce and make sure they get good and coated. Then add the sesame seeds and again, mix thoroughly.
Serve! And, if necessary, serve again!
Yum!
What a great idea for green beans. Maybe a larger amount of the tamari, brown sugar, salt, and garlic can be mixed in advance and then used to flavor various foods?
Yeah! That’s a great idea!
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