Green Beans with Cashews and Coconut

This fragrant, deeply flavored green bean dish is an exciting addition to your Thanksgiving meal. The rich taste of mustard seeds, ginger, garlic and bay leaves get infused into the beans. Cashews and coconut add a delightful crunch.

As Thanksgiving approaches I find myself thinking about food all the time.  This year I will be in Boulder cooking Thanksgiving dinner with my family.  Of course, thinking about food as I sit at my kitchen table before the sun comes up is not an unusual occurrence for me.  But now I’m thinking about the side dishes and desserts I’ll serve my family.  My son and I love cooking together but I’m the one who usually prepares the vegetable dishes and desserts.  Trevor takes care of the turkey.  It’s a perfect arrangement.

So here I am with a new dish for green beans.  My mother used to make the classic green bean casserole but I wanted something a little more exciting.  This dish was inspired by Melissa Clark’s recipe from the NY Times.

I love spices and crunch in these Green Beans with Cashews and Coconut.  I use mustard seeds, ginger, garlic and bay leaves to flavor the beans.  In this recipe, the green beans are simmered with the spices until  tender. The rich flavor gets infused into the beans.

The toasted coconut added at the end coats the green beans and brings the dish together.

Cashews provide additional crunch and enough protein that you can serve this dish as a meatless main course over rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice.

Of course I will have an assortment of more traditional dishes too.  What I have found is people tend to eat more vegetables when they have lots of flavor and exciting textures.  My goal is to make the Thanksgiving side dishes memorable.

These green beans are so good you’ll find yourself standing over the platter and sneaking a few of them before you even sit down to dinner. Serve them any time of the year to your family and friends and watch them gobbled up (pun intended).

When I made these I wound up eating most of them and my partner wondered where was his portion.  Enjoy the recipe.

Here are a few more very simple, delicious vegetable dishes you also might enjoy:  

• Sauteed Spinach with Radicchio
• Brussels Sprouts with Olive Oil and Fish Sauce
• 5 Minute Green Beans with Garlic and Thyme

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Green Beans with Cashews and Coconut

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A richly seasoned vegetable dish with crunchy cashews and coconut.

• Author: Ingrid DeHart - EatWellEnjoyLife.com
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Vegetables
• Cuisine: Asian, Healthy, Paleo, Vegan, Gluten Free

Ingredients

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• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes
• 2 ½ tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, julienned or minced
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt, or to taste
• 1/3 cup roasted cashews, coarsely chopped (salted or unsalted], to taste

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Instructions

1. Place a large dry skillet over medium heat. Add coconut and toast, shaking pan occasionally, until golden about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Heat oil in the same skillet on medium-high until hot. Add garlic, ginger and mustard seeds. Cook until mustard seeds begin to pop about 30 seconds.
3. Add turmeric, red pepper and bay leaf. Cook another 30 seconds while stirring.
4. Add green beans and salt. Toss to coat well with spices and oil.
5. Add 1/3 cup water, cover partially and reduce heat.
6. Cook until beans are tender, about 10 minutes.
7. Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates.
8. Add in the cashews and coconut and toss.
9. Serve.