Garlicky Green Beans and Carrots Smeared with Peanut Butter Sauce

Today am happy to share a super simple, super delicious side dish created by cooking green beans, carrots and garlic in olive oil then tossing it in a tangy, spicy peanut butter sauce.

Peanut butter is totally my thing. I’ve been known to get a spoon and have s delicious moment with it, often. It’s a staple in the north western part of Uganda and is often combined with tahini- a paste made from grinding toasted sesame seeds- to create savory dishes. The combined paste is used to flavor leafy greens, beans, smoked meats and fish and millet porridge even.

Whether you call then French beans, wax beans, haricots or green beans, one variety or the other of this family of beans is always available all year round making them one of the most convenient and versatile fresh greens vegetables. When buying, choose the bright and crisp ones and avoid the wilted ones or those with overly mature pods(these are spongy when slightly squeezed). Also, green beans do not keep very well, so it’s best to use them as soon as possible. I keep mine in ziplock bags is the salad drawer of the fridge. Green beans need to be cooked ‘al dente’ as the over cooked beans loose their flavour and have an unattractive flabby texture. Simply plunge them in salted boiling water and cook for about three minutes.

In this recipe,I started by stir frying the green beans, carrots and garlic in olive oil and then tossing it with a combination of peanut butter, Worcestershire sauce, honey, lemon, spring onions and chili. The end result is this lovely nutty flavored side dish which is healthy and packed with fibre and good fats. I made it on the spicy side, but you can spice it down by omitting the chili altogether.

Enjoy

x🤗x



GARLICKY FRENCH BEANS AND CARROTS SMEARED WITH SPICY PEANUT BUTTER SAUCE RECIPE Serve:4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Total time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

300g Green beans, cut into 2″ lengths 150g Carrots, cut into match sticks 5 cloves Garlic, crushed 1 tsp Chili (optional) 2 tbsp Olive oil 2 tbsp Peanut butter 2 tbsp Lemon juice 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1tbsp Honey 2 tbsp Spring onions Salt to taste
Ingredients
INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl whisk the peanut butter, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, honey, spring onions, chili and salt to taste. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a heavy base pan and gently cook the garlic. Add the green beans and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the peanut butter sauce and stir through to combine. Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately next to your main dish. garlicky green beans and carrots smeared with peanut sauce