When I initially volunteered to write something for the Fit Chicks newsletter this month I thought “oh, I can write up an article about a recipe I love pretty quickly. Sure I’ll have one ready for the July newsletter.” Well, I was wrong. I haven’t had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of the Fit Chicks and I know many of you don’t know me well either, so I’m going to share something with you; I love good food and I especially love to cook! I think summertime is one of the best times for eating fresh food. There is an abundance of beautiful, vibrant, fresh vegetables everywhere you turn; the farmers market, your garden, the farm stand on the side of the county road, and the produce isle at the grocery store to name a few. The best part is we live in a place where it is easy to find fresh local veggies. I was at the farmers market on Saturday and took note of the vegetables that were available hoping I could come up with an idea of what to write about and I was also going to a barbeque that day and needed to bring a side dish. I had a few things left from my vegetable CSA I could use, but I was also looking for some inspiration for this article and the side dish. I found tons of greens; kale, chard, lettuce mix, spinach, arugula, and fresh herbs. There were also peas, beans, onions, beets, and carrots. It really made my decision even harder seeing all of these beautiful vegetables. I finally decided to make grilled green beans with a drizzle of lemon pesto. It was so yummy I thought I needed to share it with you, and it is super easy to make.
Things you will need:
~ Food Processor or Blender
~ Grill (broiling in the oven or toaster oven will work too)
~ Vegetable grill basket
~ Baking sheet
~ Measuirng Cups
Ingredients:
For the Beans
1-2 Lbs of green beans
Olive Oil
For the Pesto
2 cups of mint leaves
Zest of lemon
1- 2 tbls fresh lemon juice
2-4 garlic cloves
1⁄4- 1⁄2 cup of parmesan cheese
1⁄4 cup of plain walnuts
1⁄2 cup olive oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
The first thing I did was make the pesto and set it aside until I was ready to grill the beans. Pesto stays good in the refrigerator up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The possibilities for the leftover pesto are endless. To make the pesto add all of the pesto ingredients except the oil to the food processor and pulse for about 1 minute. Then while the processor is running slowly add the olive oil until the consistency is what you desire. You can season with salt and pepper to taste. When I was ready to grill the beans I turned on the grill to heat up. While the grill was warming up I snapped the ends off the beans and put them into my grill basket. I set the grill basket on a baking sheet and drizzled the beans with a tiny bit of olive oil and tossed to coat. I took the baking sheet and the basket with the beans out to the grill and grilled them in the basket until they were slightly blackened.
Once the beans were done I put them into my serving dish and drizzled with the pesto. Remember with pesto a little bit goes a long way. Try it and don’t be afraid to experiment with the grilled veggies and the pesto. The measurements all stay the same for the pesto; you can change up the herbs, nuts, and cheese. Lemon is not generally part of a pesto recipe either. My motto is the recipe is just a guideline. Enjoy!
Alicia Houchen is a Fit Chick Express Trainer. If you would like to know more about Alicia and Fit Chick Express, check us out at www.FitChickExpress.com