Thursday, November 3, 2011

Fancy Green Beans


A delicate looking herb with a penetrating fragrance, thyme is a wonderful addition to bean, egg and vegetable dishes. Both fresh and dried thyme is available in your local supermarket throughout the year.

Thyme leaves are curled, elliptically shaped and very small, measuring about one-eighth of an inch long and one-sixteenth of an inch wide. The upper leaf is green-grey in color on top, while the underside is a whitish color. Along with fresh sprigs of parsley and bay leaves, thyme is included in the French combination of herbs called bouquet garni used to season stock, stews and soups.

Thyme has a long history of use in natural medicine in connection with chest and respiratory problems including coughs, bronchitis, and chest congestion. Only recently, however, have researchers pinpointed some of the components in thyme that bring about its healing effects. The volatile oil components of thyme are now known to include carvacolo, borneol, geraniol, but most importantly, thymol.

Thyme has been used since ancient times for its culinary, aromatic and medicinal properties. The ancient Egyptians used it as an embalming agent to preserve their deceased pharaohs.

In ancient Greece, thyme was widely used for its aromatic qualities, being burned as incense in sacred temples. Thyme was also a symbol of courage and admiration with the phrase "the smell of thyme" being a saying that reflected praise unto its subject. Thyme's association with bravery continued throughout medieval times when it was a ritual for women to give their knights a scarf that had a sprig of thyme placed over an embroidered bee. Since the 16th century, thyme oil has been used for its antiseptic properties, both as mouthwash and a topical application.

Thyme is native to areas such as Asia, southern Europe and the Mediterranean region and is also cultivated in North America.
By http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=77


Fancy Green Beans
Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
1 box frozen green beans, thawed
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
In skillet, heat olive oil and butter, over medium heat. Saute onions about 3 minutes. Add green beans and walnuts. Toss gently. Cook about 4 to 5 minutes. Add thyme and honey, toss gently. Enjoy!

You might also like these recipes:





26 comments:

  1. These look good (and easy to make with things currently in my house)!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Christine, your recipe came at the perfect time -- company this weekend. I'm making these!!! A neat bit of history behind thyme, too -- no wonder it's in so many recipes this time of year!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yum! When I was a kid, my mother made green beans ALL.THE.TIME. so it took me a long time to eat them as an adult. But now I love them again and these sound delish, Christine!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Kimby,

    Let me know what y'all think. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just cooked with fresh thyme the other day and forgot just how perfect an herb it is! And green beans have always been favorite. I'm sold!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That looks really good and I learned about thyme. I'm quite used to seeing almonds in green beans but not walnuts. I prefer walnuts so this totally works for me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ooo, yes, these are fancy pants! I looooove green beans and look forward to any opportunity to eat them up. Thanks for this great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I haven't made beans like this looks wonderful thank you for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love thyme...it's amazing that such a small herb can pack such a flavor punch!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Simple and very healthy way of preparing the beans.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I still have lemon thyme growing in my herb pots on the patio. I'll have to make these fancy green beans soon, before Jack Frost comes!

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love this ingredient blend! A new recipe for green beans is always welcome. Thanks for sharing this one.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Buzzz! Great side dish for the holidays.

    ReplyDelete
  14. These days, its been hectic at home, so I'm always looking for easy and quick recipes! This one fits the bill and is all in my freezer and pantry! Yum :]

    ReplyDelete
  15. hi christine, over here we have abundant green beans, so we get them fresh and they were never sold frozen.. something i learnt from blogger friends, is that we have differences in lots of foodie ingredients due to geographic locations..very interesting.
    So also, the way to cook it,is very different from our fried green beans... and i am happy and want to share your cooking ingredients and method here..thanks and have a great weekend

    ReplyDelete
  16. These beans look delicious, Christine! The perfect side dish!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Looks super yummy. Green beans were one of my Dad's faves so we ate them tons as kids. You just brought back some lovely memories. Thanks for that.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thyme is one of my favorite herbs! I need to try it with beans...wonderful idea~

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great idea Christine. The walnuts are a nice touch for those that are not meat eaters too.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dottie Sauchelli balinNovember 5, 2011 at 10:58 AM

    Looks really good, Christine. I especially love the addition of the walnuts. A great texture there. Very yummy looking, thanks. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I like thyme and use them a lot in baking. Gotta try them in beans next time. This does look fancy and appetizing!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you all for all the warm comments.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Love how you always give us some history with your recipes. The beans look great!

    ReplyDelete

Why not leave a comment or a suggestion? Be the first to leave a comment.

Printfriendly

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...