Garlic Citrus Green Beans

Summer side dishes are in full swing in my house! They definitely take up more of the plate than the main dish and I usually make sure they pack a punch. These green beans bring more to the table than you thought possible for a little green veggie. Yum yum yum!

For a while now I have been using a lot of citrus in my cooking, I recently realized that I have been under-utilizing my zester and quickly remedied that situation by zesting EVERYTHING. This particular dish has a hearty dose of orange zest along with orange and lemon juice. I have always loved the sweet-tartness of citrus paired with savory flavors, so in this recipe I used garlic for the balance. 

The ingredients in this recipe really just make sense, there's no denying!

All fresh and gorgeous and perfect! I think it's pretty rare to come across a recipe where the freshness of the ingredients can make you genuinely happy, but man-oh-man does this make me happy!

Prep work for this is easy-peasy! All you have to do is a little chop-chop to the garlic and onions. Then juice and zest the citrus, that's all!

The cooking starts with a quick steam of the onions and beans in a pan while the fruit juices are simmering and reducing in a pot with some honey and soy sauce. I love how green veggies get all bight green and gorgeous when they cook!

See how green they get! Beauty!

After the steaming was complete I threw in the freshly chopped garlic right at the end so it gets slightly cooked. Garlic can get pretty bitter if it's overcooked, so none of that here!

When the juice was done reducing I let it cool off for a little while so it didn't cook the beans at all when I poured it over top. One of the fantastic things about this dish is that you can eat it warm or chill it for a while and eat it cool! So delish! After it sits for a few, the flavors seriously start to mix and mingle to make some magic happen on the plate. 

The combination of citrus and garlic may be my favorite of the moment. But, then again, everything I make is my favorite of the moment! The lemon and orange perfectly balance each other out with sweetness and tartness add the garlic in there and several layers of flavors work together to make each bite perfection.

It's done! Seriously, done! 

Here are the ingredients and instructions for this-

Serves: 3-4        Prep time: 5 Minutes       Cooking time: 10 Minutes        Total time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. Green Beans (fresh or frozen)
• 4 Green Onions
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 Orange- Juice and Zest
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tsp. Honey
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce
• 3 Cloves Finely Chopped Garlic

Instructions:

1. Finely chop garlic, set aside
2. Finely chop whites of onions and quarter the green stalks, set aside
3. Prep green beans by breaking off the end tips
4. Juice lemon and orange, zest orange, set aside
5. Add 1/4 Cup water to medium frying pan over medium heat
6. Add green beans and onions to pan, let cook for about 5 min until bright green
7. Stir in garlic
8. Remove from heat and set aside
9. In a sauce pan stir the lemon juice, orange juice, orange zest, honey, and soy sauce together and bring to a simmer
10. Allow to simmer for about 6-8 minute until reduced by about half, stir constantly
11. Allow to cool slightly, pour over bean/onion mixture
12. Serve warm or cold

Here it is again... just in case you forgot!

Happy zesting!

You can find this recipe on ZipList HERE

Bye-Bye