Green Beans with Hazelnuts & Lemon

When planning your holiday meal, many people choose a traditional green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup and French-fried onions. This year, why not turn up the excitement a notch and treat your loved ones to a tasty, yet easy to prepare alternative to a customary holiday side dish. Green beans, after all, are a great way to “Keep the State on Your Plate.”

Green beans, believe it or not, are the unripe, young fruit and seed pod of one of the different varieties of the common bean. Unlike most other varieties of beans, which are legumes, green beans are a vegetable, and harvested and consumed within their protective outer pods. They are similar in nature to un-ripened pea pods that are commonly used in salads and stir fry dishes. There are over 130 varieties of green beans and they grow either on a bush or on a vine.

Green beans are a low-calorie vegetable and packed with protein, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin K, as well as beta-carotene, folate, and potassium.

This green bean recipe adds some zing to your dish with fresh lemon juice, along with the crunchy, nutty goodness of toasted hazelnuts.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
• 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 2 tabpespoons California olive oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook beans 3 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a large bowl

2. Add olive oil, lemon zest, hazelnuts, salt and pepper. Beans may be made 1 day ahead and chilled and covered. Reheat beans, preferably in a microwave.