Gingered Green Beans

Look for fresh ginger (also called gingerroot) in the specialty produce section of your grocery store. Peel it with a vegetable peeler, and mince with a sharp knife. Leftover ginger can be frozen up to one month.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3  cups  water
• 1  extra-large ham-flavor bouillon cube
• 1  pound  fresh green beans, trimmed
• 2  tablespoons  butter or margarine
• 1  small sweet onion, diced
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  tablespoons  peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  seasoned pepper
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped pecans, toasted
• Garnish: toasted pecan halves

Preparation

Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in bouillon cube until dissolved. Add green beans, and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; sauté 2 minutes. Add beans, salt, and pepper; sauté 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle with pecans. Garnish, if desired.

NOTE: For testing purposes only, we used Knorr bouillon cubes.