Grilled Green Beans with Golden Almonds

I found this recipe online for Pan Roasted Green Beans with Golden Almonds.  It looked really good (and their picture is DEFINITELY better than mine), but I thought I could add more flavor to the recipe and I wanted to grill the green beans.  They also barely cooked their shallots and I caramelized and crisped mine.  Delicious!  

8 ounces green beans, trimmed

about 1 tbsp Pampered Chef Citrus Basil Rub or lemon pepper seasoning

1/4 cup blanched whole almonds, coarsely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil + more for marinating the green beans

1 large shallot, sliced thin

zest from 1 lemon

Add the cleaned, trimmed green beans to a shallow container (or even a Ziploc bag) with olive oil and Citrus Basil seasoning - I didn't measure the olive oil - it was probably somewhere around 1/2 cup.  Do this earlier in the day or even the day before.  When you are ready to grill the beans, drain them from the seasoned oil and grill until just cooked through with slight char marks.  You want them to still have a little crispness to them.  Place on a serving platter and keep warm.  

Meanwhile, toast the almonds in 3 tbsp olive oil until golden brown.  Remove from the oil and set aside.  Add shallots to the oil and cook, stirring frequently, until they are caramelized and slightly crispy.  Add almonds back to the pan and toss until heated through again.  Top green beans with the almond/shallot mixture.  Add lemon zest to the top.  

Breaking the Rules

Rule #1 for feeding non-vegans vegan food:  Don't feed them anything that looks weird.  

Well, I just couldn't help it.  I love this dish, so I made it for a Welcome Home party for my husband and son and served it with an explanation.  Everyone brave enough to try the "weird green potato salad" loved it!  There were a few wimps who didn't taste it.  

I absolutely love pesto, so when I came across this recipe in Vegetarian Times magazine, I had to make it, adapting it a bit to fit our family.  

Spinach Pesto Potato Salad

3 cups packed baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup packed fresh basil

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces

2 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

To make pesto, puree above ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste (this Cajun girl adds cayenne).  

1 1/2 lb baby red or Yukon gold potatoes, halved

3/4 lb fresh green beans, trimmed

2 tsp olive oil

1 large shallot, thinly sliced 

3 tbsp diced sun-dried tomatoes

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

3/4 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 minutes.  Add green beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Drain; transfer to bowl and cover to keep warm.

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Saute shallots for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until caramelized.  Add sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes and saute about 3 minutes.  

Toss pesto and shallots with the potatoes and green beans.  Toss in quartered cherry tomatoes and serve.  

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If you are brave enough to serve it to non-vegans, reassure them there is no avocado in the dish.  That's what everyone thought at our party!  They breathed a sigh of relief when I assured them there was no scary avocado.