Stir Fry Green Beans with Cashews

Those green beans just don’t give up. I finally told the kiddos to just stop picking them. We’ll let the ones that are left dry and use them as seed for next year’s crop. So this may just be our last recipe of the season featuring green beans as the stars.

I have to say that even though I was doubtful at first about Sally’s “frenching” method, and even though I was a little annoyed that it took a bit more time and energy, I really, really like the results. And so does my family. The kiddos like that the beans are easier to chew and in smaller pieces. I think the grown-ups like that too, but we’re too busy trying to set a good example of how-to-eat-your-dinner-without-complaining that we won’t say it.

I confess to having trouble “crisping” my cashews. I’ve posted before about Sally’s fabulous method of soaking and “crisping” nuts and seeds. I’ve used it regularly on my nuts and love the results with all of them except cashews. They seem to come out kind of mushy. Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions I should try?

This dish was a winner in our house. I wanted it to be a main dish, so I served it over brown rice and put half of a hard-boiled egg on top of each dish. You could also try it with some marinated beef (I think ground or thinly sliced steak would both be tasty). It also gets all three stars for accessibility of ingredients, ease of preparation, and affordability.

Stir Fry Green Beans with Cashews (Nourishing Traditions, page 371)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds string beans French cut
• 1 cup crispy cashews (p 515) chopped
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
• ¹⁄₄ cup naturally fermented soy sauce
• 1 cup water, orange juice, or chicken stock
• 2 tbsp arrowroot mixed with 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic mashed (optional)
• ¹⁄₂ tsp dried rosemary

1. Combine ginger, soy sauce, water or stock, honey, sesame oil, garlic and rosemary. Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk.

2. French cut your green beans if desired. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan or wok. Stir fry the beans until just tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add cashews and the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add the arrowroot mixture and simmer until sauce thickens and all the beans are well coated.

If you can’t find arrowroot, just use some other thickener. I use potato starch, but you could use cornstarch or even a bit of flour. Each of these thickeners gives a slightly different flavor, but they accomplish the same purpose. I let mine simmer for about 10 minutes before calling it done.