Green Bean Topping Ideas
Lemon juice or vinegar
Minced garlic or onion, fresh or dry
Dried cranberries or chopped nuts
Chopped ham or crumbled bacon
Lowfat Italian salad dressing
Dill or basil, fresh or dry
❁ Cook, refrigerate or freeze ground beef soon after buying.
❁ Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator. Allow 12 hours for 1 pound and use a container to catch liquids. Cook or re-freeze within 1 or 2 days.
❁ Ground beef is often red on the outside because of exposure to oxygen. A darker color on the inside is normal and not a sign of spoilage.
❁ Watch for ground beef on sale. Stock up if you can cook or freeze within a couple of days.
When kids help make healthy food, they are more likely to try it. Show kids how to:
❁ safely handle the sharp lids when opening cans.
❁ measure ingredients.
❁ use a spatula to break up ground beef as it browns.
Lemon juice or vinegar
Minced garlic or onion, fresh or dry
Dried cranberries or chopped nuts
Chopped ham or crumbled bacon
Lowfat Italian salad dressing
Dill or basil, fresh or dry
Wash beans under running cool water; snap or cut off the tips of both ends; leave whole or cut or snap to desired size.
✿ Boil - Add beans to boiling water, cover, cook to desired tenderness (3 to 8 minutes).
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons vinegar
4 cups green beans, canned, frozen or cooked from fresh
Directions:
1. For fresh green beans, cook until tender.
■ Refrigerate fresh green beans in an open plastic bag; use within 1 week.
■ Store canned green beans in a cool, dry place at room temperature and use within 8 to 12 months for best quality.
Whole
Cut - Beans sliced crosswise.
Julienned or French Cut - Beans sliced lengthwise.
For color variety, try yellow wax beans. Use them just like green beans.
❁ Choose fresh green beans with a bright green color and firm texture; they should snap easily when bent. Avoid beans with brown spots or bruises.
❁ Beans should be mostly smooth on the surface. Large bumps may mean that the bean is more mature and less tender to eat.
When kids help make healthy food, they are more likely to try it. Show kids how to:
❁ rinse vegetables under running water.
❁ keep track of blanching time.
❁ put vegetables on a flat pan for freezing.