Last week I got a totally unexpected text from a coworker … she had just visited her parents’ garden and they had a big surplus of green beans and she was wondering if I wanted some. “Oh yes!” I responded, telling her I wanted to make green bean fries. (In my mind, I was thinking of the green bean fries I’ve had at the bar … but also thinking my eggplant fries recipe would work and I could freeze and reheat them, right? How fun would that be?!)
She stopped by that night with a HUGE bag of green beans. I was a little worried … what am I going to DO with all of them?!? But I set my worries aside and brought the beans along to the lake that weekend. I split the bag in three and gave the other two bags to my friends. This seemed like a much more manageable bag of beans.
I got home from the lake and was dying to make my green bean fries, but I didn’t have the time or energy that day. I had to wait until the following weekend to make me some green bean fries. I was so excited when it came time to make them. I mixed up a yummy crumb mixture, then I simply dipped the beans in egg, then coated them with my lovely crunchy breadcrumb mixture, sprayed with cooking spray and baked them up. I had no doubts that my bacon ranch dressing was the perfect “dip” for a green bean fry. I mean after all, what’s better with green beans than bacon?
The larger beans were okay, but the smaller ones were AMAZING! Especially with that bacon ranch dip. Mmmm … I kept munching and munching as I pulled them from the oven, but I told myself to STOP and save some for later. That was my mistake. It turns out that eggplant fries freeze and reheat beautifully, but green bean fries … yeah, not so much. They get tough and stringy when you reheat them, especially the larger beans. The small ones were kind of okay reheated, so you might be okay if you want to try that with little green bean fries, but really, you can freeze the breadcrumb coating, so why not just dip and bake up what you want right then? I wonder how it would turn out if you tried making green bean fries from good frozen (and then thawed) green beans? I must try that sometime.
All in all, this was a great experiment.
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Easy Baked Green Bean Fries
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: As many as you like!
Ingredients
For the breadcrumb mixture:
- 2 cups whole wheat (or gluten free) breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bacon salt (or smoked salt … if using smoked salt, reduce seasoned salt)
- 1 cup finely shredded sharp flavorful cheese (Asiago, Parmesan or Romano work well)
- 2 teaspoons Red Robin Seasoning (or your favorite seasoned salt)
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs (I used a mix of basil, oregano, rosemary & tarragon)
For the Bacon Ranch Dip:
- 1/3 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup low fat milk
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon bacon salt (to taste … or smoked salt … if using smoked salt, omit salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- A pinch of dried dill
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
For the rest:
- 1 lb. small fresh green beans from the garden (or farmer’s market)
- 2 – 3 eggs
- Avocado oil or cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush 2 baking sheets with avocado oil or spray with cooking spray to coat them fully.
- Mix all ingredients for the breadcrumb mixture together in a small flat bowl.
- Get out another flat bowl. Crack the eggs and whisk until the eggs are fluffy.
- Now for the dipping: It helps to designate one hand for “dry” dipping and one for “wet”. Dip each green bean into the egg with your “wet” hand and set it in the crumb mixture, then with your “dry” hand, sprinkle crumbs over and then flip the bean to gently it them fully with crumbs. Set the coated sticks on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between them, and repeat with the rest of the eggplant sticks. Drizzle the sticks with oil and/or spray with cooking spray.
- Bake at 400 for 15 – 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- While the green beans are baking, whisk together the ingredients for the bacon ranch dip.
- When the beans are done, serve them hot with the bacon ranch dip. Happy snacking!
Notes
Green bean fries are best enjoyed right away. They do not reheat well. The tender, small green beans make the best green bean fries.
RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/
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