Beans for Snack?

These are not your grandmother's green beans; there is no fat back or ham and where grandma cooked her beans all day until they fell apart, these beans cook in minutes, and will disappear just as quickly.

I am not referring to the typical American green bean; these are long, thin bean that some call "snap" or "squeaky" bean, referring to the noise they make in your mouth.  These beans are entirely edible with a tender, slightly sweet pod and, as most are now bred to be string-less, there is little to no work in their preparation. 

Snap beans are generally in season in spring and early summer, but, as there are beautiful selections in stores right now, and a sample of summer tastes so good in the middle February, I had to share this simple recipe.  Regardless of when or where they were grown, you want to look for fresh beans with firm pods, which should snap when broken.  If the skin is wrinkled, the pod limp or withered, or there are signs of freezer burn, try again later, as these beans should look so healthy that they beckon to you from across the store with a green you cannot resist.

Beans are best cooked fresh, so take them home and cook them immediately, and as this recipe is so quick and simple, you can cook them while you put away your other groceries:

Simple Snap Beans

Wash beans and steam just until tender but not long enough to become limp or lose their brilliant green.

Place warm beans in flat container or freezer bag with a small amount of Good Season's Italian dressing, prepared with 1/3 of the call-for amount of vegetable oil and extra vinegar (to taste).  How much dressing will depend upon how many beans you prepared, but they are should not swim in the dressing; it should merely lightly coat them.  Place in refrigerator.

Toss the beans in the container or bag whenever you open the refrigerator to redistribute dressing, and allow to sit as long as possible.  Serve over a salad, as a cold side-dish, or, if you are like my three-year-old, grab the container, sit in the floor, and use your fingers to eat them as a delicious snack. 

Snap beans are filling, due to their fiber content, and a great source of calcium, folate, iron, and protein, all of which are great for growing bodies, which means that they make a nutritious snack that will keep kids full and playing while adding a great vegetable to their diet that they thoroughly enjoyed eating.