Green beans have long been a favorite vegetable of mine, but I can’t say the same for others in my family! There’s a family legend about Eric and green beans. Apparently, he didn’t like them when he was a small child. It was Thanksgiving at Nana & Pappy’s house, Eric’s grandparents on his mom’s side of the family. Eric was only about 2 or 3 and sitting in his high chair. He wanted to get out of the high chair and play but he was told he had to eat his green beans first. Well, he didn’t want to eat them. So he sat there for a long time not really eating them. A very long time. Long enough to fall asleep in the high chair with a green bean sticking out of his mouth. It’s possible there is photographic evidence of this, but it has not been located. Yet!

Despite Eric’s past aversion to them, green beans are often part of our dinners. Native to North America, green beans are the unripe fruit of the common bean plant and have been cultivated worldwide for more than 7,000 years. Green beans were not eaten fresh until the late 19th century. Prior to that, the beans were shelled and dried before being eaten. Usually, we steam our green beans in the microwave then dress them with a bit of olive oil and kosher salt. But sometimes even green beans need to be dressed up a bit.

Orange-Infused Roasted Green Beans and Red Peppers (from eatingwell.com)

Serves 4  Prep Time: 3 minutes  Cook Time: 15 minutes  Total Time: 18 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 — 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Toss the green beans, bell pepper and oil in a large bowl. Add the orange zest, salt and crushed red pepper to taste, tossing to combine.

I love the bright colors of this dish!

Spread the veggies on a large baking sheet. Roast the vegetables, turning once halfway through cooking, until they are tender, about 15 minutes.

Roasting the veggies brings out the natural sweetness of them.

Transfer the beans to a serving dish and eat immediately.

A good veggie dish for beef, pork, chicken or fish!

Dressed up green beans are still quick and easy to prepare, but best of all, delicious!  ~Linda

Orange-Infused Roasted Green Beans and Red Peppers (from eatingwell.com)

Serves 4  Prep Time: 3 minutes  Cook Time: 15 minutes  Total Time: 18 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 — 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss the green beans, bell pepper and oil in a large bowl. Add the orange zest, salt and crushed red pepper to taste, tossing to combine. Spread the veggies on a large baking sheet. Roast the vegetables, turning once halfway through cooking, until they are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer the beans to a serving dish and eat immediately.