Green Bean Stir fry

I adore those extra thin frozen green beans I find at my Aldi store. And adore is not too strong a word. Green beans are one of those love hate things for me. I love old fashioned cooked to death southern style beans. I grew up on those fresh from my great grandma's garden. There is something peaceful about snapping home grown green beans.

Not that I ever really do that. I still have not recovered from our grasshopper devastation last summer. Don't get me started there. I really am only trying for herbs this summer, so I won't get too depressed.

I use canned green beans from time to time, but they just aren't really much to write home about. For years, they were the only veggie all four of my men could agree on. We ate way too many canned green beans and they never did get flavorful. Why not just go fresh or frozen? Fresh are hard to come by out of season, though I do love them. Frozen, somehow are just another story all together. Are we absolutely sure they are all the same vegetable? I always find frozen green beans tough, hard to cook and the flavor is somehow off. Maybe it is just me? Just not a fan.

These beans are different. Because they come to me thin, they are so much easier to cook. Now I don't have to devote hours and/or a half pound of bacon grease to like them. I am good with "tender crisp" because they still have a great flavor. Besides that, they cook quickly, which is one of my must haves, especially as we head into summer.

I like thin green beans oven roasted; I tried the oven fries--the supposed replacement for french fries. That is just not happening here. I like them even better stir fried though. Tonight's dinner was so easy. It was really good too. Especially when we are tempted to head out to the Chinese buffet.

Green Bean Stir Fry

1 pound frozen extra thin green beans
1 Tablespoon light olive oil
1 package Minute Beef, or 1 pound browned ground beef
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion
1 Tablespoon sun dried tomato
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon pineapple Da Vinci sugarfree syrup
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Coat frozen beans with olive oil. Place into a hot skillet and stir fry for five minutes. Add in browned ground beef and all remaining seasonings. Stir fry until beans are to the desired level tenderness.

Stir fry meals are especially nice when the cook does not need to drag out the cutting board!