While we’re in the midst of social distancing and rationing our resources, we’re finding ourselves in the kitchen a bit more. During this time of uncertainty with no end in sight, we’re going to cook from all the ingredients we have. The normal, the random, and those forgotten impulse buys we made a month ago. 

This green bean recipe is a great compliment to any pork, beef, or chicken meal. It can also stand on its own as a power meal for lunch. I used the ready-to-eat green beans you toss in the microwave and last of my tomatoes. You can sub the fresh green beans for canned and omit the tomatoes if you don’t have them. If you don’t have sesame seeds but have bottom of the barrel croutons, just pulse those in a food processor to add texture and crunch to the dish. —Justin Burke 

Ginger Soy Green Beans
serves 2

Ingredients 

16 ounces fresh green beans (or 1 can green beans, drained and dried)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon freshly minced ginger (or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger)
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Sesame seeds to garnish (optional) 

Directions 

1. Cook green beans in a 6-quart pot of boiling well-salted water, uncovered, until just tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Drain in a colander, then plunge into an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain beans and pat dry.
2. Using a medium skillet, heat oil on medium-low heat. Add green beans and sauté until beans start to blister, about 1-3 minutes.  
3. Add garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt to beans. Stir to evenly coat and toast spices. 
4. Add soy sauce and toss, then cook until soy sauce reduces and coats the beans. You should see little crispy pockets of flavor form. 
5. Reduce heat to low, then add ginger and stir. 
6. Push beans to the outer edges of the pan and add tomatoes, sliced side down. Press gently on the tomatoes to sear the sides and push juices out. Stir tomatoes and beans together. Remove from heat. 
7. Plate in a bowl or plate and garnish with sesame seeds. 

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