"Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without" by Mollie Katzen.

Mollie has taught me something delightful, which is that nearly any green veggie is delicious if it is blanched and then pan roasted in garlic, olive oil, and salt.

Mmmmm. Brussels sprouts and green beans are my favorite.

This is a simple dish that I've served on many occasions. It's easy and yummy. I don't cook from a recipe, so I'll do my best here:

Ginger Beef with green beans

• beef, cut into small thin bite-sized slices. For 3-4, I'll use one steak (I have grassfed steaks in the freezer).
• 2 tbsp olive oil or canola oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 -2 tbsp of candied ginger, chopped finely (you could substitute powdered ginger plus some honey or sugar, or minced real ginger)
• Frozen green beans - maybe 3/4 lb will fit in the pan
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 c water - better to add too little, you can always add more
• 2 tsp cornstarch mixed in a little cold water
• salt
• opt: soy sauce and/or rice wine vinegar, splashed at the end to taste

I use a cast iron skillet, which I think is helping me to get really terrific results.

So, brown the beef in 1 tbsp of the olive oil with the garlic and ginger over medium-high heat; add a little salt if you like. Remove the beef to a plate.

Add the remaining oil
Add the frozen green beans. If all the ginger has left the pan, you might want to add some more. Lightly salt.  Cook over medium high heat until the beans are starting to feel cooked. I like mine a little extra tender/roasty. Toward the end of cooking, add the honey. Check the flavor and consider adding more salt, ginger, or honey.

Add the beef back to the pan and add the water. Add the cornstarch slurry, and cook another minute. Adjust flavors; splash with soy sauce and or seasoned rice wine vinegar to taste.

Serve with rice.

It took me a long time to figure out that the honey was the key to this dish, and then I felt a little bad about adding it. However, I've come to appreciate that it's more important to make sure everyone eats their veggies and enjoys them than it is to avoid fat, salt, and sugar. A pile of meat with no added sugar is not necessarily healthier! :-)

Tonight we're having burritos. Very simple, just brown the meat with some onion, garlic, and spices, add cheese, avocado, corn, and salsa. It's quite easy to do half meat and half beans, or all beans instead.