Most of my life I’ve been eating my veggies as just that, veggies. Streamed, boiled, raw. And topped off usually with some butter or, back in the 80’s, margarine. Ranch dressing and my veggies were BFFs. You catch my drift. It was no wonder I wasn’t crazy about veggies for so long. But as I got older (and hopefully wiser) and found myself in the kitchen more and more I realized that veggies can be a vehicle for delivering lots of flavors other than just the veggie itself. Who knew, huh? 😉
Since I’ve started following a paleo diet, I’ve realized it’s easy to get bored with veggies. Especially if you are eating them as often as you should be! I mean, how much mashed cauliflower and sweet potatoes can one girl have? Not helping the situation, I can be kinda lazy which makes it even easier to get stuck in a rut. So I’m all about pepping up our veggies with minimal effort.
Which brings me to this gem! Over Thanksgiving I made a gremolata from a well known celebrity chef and while it was decent, I was left underwhelmed by the flavors. I wanted something a bit bolder that would take my veggies to the next level so I decided tonight to take matters into my own hands. And did I ever. Clearly I like to toot my own horn on my recipes but I just get so excited when I find something that I think (and hope) you will love as much as I do.
Traditionally a gremolata is an herb condiment that contains parsley and lemon. You can add a variety of other flavors to the mix but essentially it a a zesty, herb concoction you can add to vegetables or meat, poultry or fish. Since green beans were what I had on hand from the farmer’s market today, green beans is what it was. But I’d imagine it would be just as wonderful on some roasted cauliflower or dare I say.. sautéed spinach? Next time I make this, I plan to use it as a topping on grilled salmon. I’m thinking it may end up a signature dish! What would you top with this??
Green Beans + Gremolata
Ingredients
- 1 lb. green beans trimmed
- 1/2 tbsp. lemon zest
- 1/2 tbsp. orange zest
- 3 tbsp. italian parsley finely chopped
- 3 tbsp. basil finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp. capers
- 3 tbsp. pine nuts toasted
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes*
- drizzle of favorite finishing oil i.e. olive avocado
Instructions
- Steam green beans until slightly tender, about 3-5 minutes
- Drain and rinse green beans under cold water and set aside
- Mince garlic finely
- Lightly toast pine nuts in pan until slightly golden
- In a small bowl combine all ingredients
- Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over mixture and combine
- Toss gremolata with cooled green beans and serve
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