Chinese Restaurant Green Beans ( Szechuan Green Beans )

Chinese Restaurant Green Beans ( Szechuan Green Beans )

I just LOVE those Green Beans that are so often served at Chinese Restaurants.  A huge plate of those Green Beans over Rice makes a great dinner!

They seem to be cooked in a lot of oil, and they are often seared & have charred bits here and there on the outside. I braise mine (steam them in a tiny bit of water, then stir-fry with sauce), which reduces the fat content.

This is my home version, adapted from Simply Vegan . It's a LOT cheaper to make these at home than to order them in a restaurant. They're quite easy to make - and you can avoid the excessive oil in Chinese Restaurant food - as well as the temptation to load up on Fried Eggrolls & other appetizers & desserts.

Szechuan Green Beans
In a large Skillet or pot, put
2 Pounds Frozen Fancy Green Beans ( I find these beauties at Aldi for $1.49/pound, year round : )
1 cup water
Cover with lid, and cook on medium high to high till desired tenderness (usually about 10 minutes or so) stirring occasionally.*
When the Beans are done to suit you, drain any remaining water, and add sauce
2 Tablespoons Garlic (I use the jarred kind)
1 Tablespoon  fresh ginger (I use the jarred kind)
1 Tablespoon Dark Sesame Oil
5 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
Toss to coat and warm.
If desired, for an authentic touch, you can top these with chopped 
Pickled Cabbage,
which can be purchased at a Chinese Grocery. Chinese Pickled Cabbage is particularly tasty - I would find it easy to polish off a can before it even touched the Green Beans!
These are best served over a Short Grain Rice, such as Calrose - but whichever rice is your favorite will be great.

*Alternately, you can simply toss the frozen beans in a hot skillet, stirring them every few minutes- till desired doneness. No oil, no water : ) This can give them the seared appearance you're used to at restaurants, if you like. But, it's a little more time consuming, and may be hard on some nonstick skillets.

If you're feeling super-rushed (or lazy), you can steam the green beans in the microwave, and simply toss them with the sauce ; )

Tip for Dining with Omnivores: Some Beef or Pork goes well with this meal - especially if you can prepare it Chinese-style.  I sometimes serve this with Teriyaki Beef Strips over Rice.

This is being shared on Healthy Vegan Fridays and Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Everyday Entrees for Around $5., Mums Make Lists
Food on Fridays 
Food on Fridays Stir Fries

Make your Own Microwave Popcorn!

Home made Microwave Popcorn

Popcorn is a healthy whole grain food, and a great snack.

Microwave Popcorn on the other hand, has so much added junk (generally speaking - I haven't researched every brand), that I tend to think of it as a heart-attack-in-a-bag. Add to that the price that is many times what it costs to make at home, and the added environmentally-unfriendly packaging . . . Well, let's just say I'm really glad I found out how to make my own!

Homemade Microwave Popcorn Bag, ready to go in Microwave

 

In fact, saying I make my own is a bit of a stretch. Actually, my little daughter insists on doing most of it : )


Microwave Popcorn
Open a new paper lunchbag
Put in 1/4 cup dry, unpopped Popcorn
Tape shut with non-metallic tape (like masking tape or freezer tape)
Lay in microwave, and turn on High for 2 minutes or "Popcorn" setting if you have one.
Stay nearby and listen. When popping slows so that there is 2 seconds between pops, turn it off.
(This seems to burn a little more easily than
the commercial stuff, so watch & listen carefully)

Open carefully so as not to burn yourself with steam.
Pour into bowl & eat.

You can season after popping if you desire. I usually spray on a bit of Olive oil from my fill-your-own sprayer, and add salt.

This is being shared on The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party

What to do with that #10 Can

My Reused ( Upcycled ) #10 Can

I happily admit it. I live under a rock. I don't have cable (or even TV!) and usually have no idea who those folks are who do all the cooking shows. And, I'm pretty frugal. So, I don't like buying silly stuff just because it's endorsed by someone I've barely heard of.

Imagine my surprise when I was shopping one day, to find a rather pretty large melamine bowl (that's a fancy, plastic-like substance). It was marketed by some cooking "Personality" and priced for 19.95 (which, here in the Midwest, is a LOT of money for a plastic bowl!) The purpose of this bowl? Why, to collect trash on your kitchen counter when you're cooking. A TRASH BOWL for $19.95?! Are they serious?!

Well, shortly thereafter, I was preparing a "Vat O' Yachni" and found myself looking at an empty #10 can that seemed "too good to throw away" - and an idea was born! It would be my new "Trash Bowl" - and I could not only save $19.95 (like I would have spent that anyway!) but I could also "Save the Planet" (so to speak).

And, I have found it to be quite useful! So much so that I wouldn't want to do without it. I use old bags (such as produce bags) to line it - although you could easily give it a rinse now and then if you prefer. When I get an extra bag, I put it in the bottom of the can for storage, so that when I pull out a full bag, the next one is waiting to be pressed into service.

These DO need to be replaced now and then, to ensure that they don't rust and stain your countertop.

Actually, a kitchen counter garbage receptacle of some kind is a great idea. I originally read about it in The House that Cleans Itself . It has a few advantages:

1) If you're like me - a bit of a slob - and tend to put things like the foil packet from your tea bag on the counter - well, it becomes a little more natural to be less slobbish.

2) If you're chopping vegetables, you don't have to walk to the trash can with every onion skin & pepper stem. That makes things more efficient when you're cooking, and meals come together more quickly & smoothly.

3) Most importantly, since you're not walking to the trash over & over, you're not touching the germy lid to the trash can, and having to wash your hands constantly (or, unthinkably, just putting those germs on the food)

Best of all, Reusing is even better than Recycling! It takes NO extra energy : )