Lebanese green beans

   This is a nice, hearty recipe, enjoyed by the entire family. Add more potatoes or less, according to your preference. You could skip them altogether, although I don't recommend, as they make the sauce creamier and thicker, without the use of any kind of flour. My kids love them so I always add extra.

  

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

- 500 g green beans, trimmed

- 1 large onion, minced

- 3 carrots, sliced

- 2 large potatoes (or more), diced

- 4 garlic cloves, minced

- 150 ml tomato paste

- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

- a pinch cayenne

- salt and pepper

- fresh parsley, to garnish

   In a large pot, heat evoo and sauté onions until translucent. Add carrots and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the potatoes and sauté about 2 minutes longer. Add green beans, turmeric and cayenne and, stirring, toss to coat. Add a few cups of water, not covering the vegetables completely, add salt and pepper, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and let simmer gently until veggies have softened. Add tomato paste and simmer about 4 minutes longer, until all the juices have nicely combined. Add cinnamon and garlic, stir to combine and remove from heat. A little note: if you are not as big of a fan of the heat provided by the garlic as myself, instead of adding it at the end of the cooking time, simply sauté it in the beginning, together with the onions. Garnish with a drizzle of evoo and fresh parsley. Serve it with Ralurabic rice and onion salad (slice the onion thinly, sprinkle with sea salt and cover with a generous amount of apple cider vinegar, let sit for a few minutes to allow the vinegar to remove some of the pungency). Enjoy!

Add a few cups of water, not covering the vegetables completely.

Onion salad: thinly slice an onion, sprinkle with sea salt and cover with a generous amount of apple cider vinegar, let sit for a few minutes.