Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Almonds

Here’s another great way to prepare green beans. This time, I used the purple green beans that I received from the CSA this week. I’ve never cooked with purple green beans before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. As it turns out, purple green beans are essentially green beans disguised in a purple color; they taste the same and are green inside.

Here’s a picture of the beans after I trimmed the ends, you can see the purple outside and green inside:


I adapted this recipe from the Food Network.

Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Almonds

(Yields 2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the green beans for about 3 minutes
2. Drain cooked beans and rinse with cold water (to prevent further cooking)
3. Set beans aside to dry
4. Heat pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the almonds and toast them until fragrant and golden (stir frequently and keep a watchful eye - these will burn in an instant if you're not paying attention!)
5. Remove toasted almonds from pan and set aside
6. Heat pan again over medium heat. Once hot, add small amount of olive oil (enough to coat pan)
7. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have caramelized - about 20 minutes
8. Add the thyme and cook for another 5 minutes
9. Add the cooked green beans and almonds, stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper
10. When ready to serve, removed the thyme springs (or leave them in if you'd prefer!)

Because I didn’t do my research in advance, when I cooked the beans in hot water (step 1), their beautiful purple color faded away and the beans become green. Here's what the transformation process looked like:
The caramelized onions were sweet and the almonds added a nice nutty flavor. Overall, delicious! I paired the green beans with breaded chicken and some leftover quinoa salad with tomato, cucumber and feta! Here is the meal in its entirety!


Enjoy and thanks for reading!