My boyfriend, Fred, and I joined a food co-op this summer to supplement our weekly farmers market trips (and cut food costs). Every two weeks, we pay $20 and a bag of mostly organic, local when possible produce is delivered to our door (by our friend Chad, who runs it). Most of the produce is stuff we love: fresh raspberries, spinach, apples, tomatoes. Other times we get one of the few vegetables Fred dislikes. (Me, I've never met a veg I didn't like.) This time it was beans: green and yellow wax. I start each week by eating the fruit and vegetables that are going to spoil first: sunflower sprouts, blackberries, tomatoes. Finally, by Thursday night, only the beans were left. It was do or (let them) die time. The trick to learning to like vegetables you hate is to disguise their appearance and flavor. (And, no, that doesn't mean dipping them in batter and deep frying them. No Green Bean Fries for me, thank you!) Think about what it is you dislike about that particular vegetable. I asked Fred why he's anti-green beans. It turns out that he remembers the long, mushy canned beans from childhood. Step 1: Chop the beans into 1-inch pieces. Step 2: Change texture. Sauté them in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper on high heat until they're crispy on the outside and still slightly firm. Step 3: Change the flavor: Add pesto (with homemade lemony basil from the coop) and an extra bit of parmesan cheese! Results: "Is this pasta?" Fred asks as I hand him a plate of beans. Crispy Green Beans with Pesto 2 cups fresh green beans 1 T olive oil 2T pesto (from a jar is fine) 2T parmesan Trim ends from green beans, then chop into 1" pieces. Heat olive oil over high heat in medium skillet. Add beans and cover skillet for two minutes. Uncover, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook about 5 minutes, until crispy and caramelized on most sides. Add pesto and remove from heat. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve. Makes 4 1/2 cup servings. 76 calories, 5.8 g fat (1.3 g saturated fat), 2 g fiber, 4.6 g carbs, 2.5 g protein You can also find the recipe here. Want to learn to like a certain vegetable? Email editor@dailyspark.com with your name, the vegetable you dislike and any dietary restrictions. We might blog about it! |
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