Szechuan Style Green Beans

Toothpick, dental floss, stick, twig...

No one feels sorry for a skinny girl, but these are just some of the names we were called in school.  But the one I heard often was "beanpole" and I went home thinking "what the hell is a bean pole?"  There was no googling.  You just sit on the stoop and wonder.  Actually, there's no stoop in suburbia, but I'm trying to paint a picture.  Beanpole...  People would say that and I didn't know what it was, but I knew I was supposed to be offended in some capacity.  And I was.  They could have said "you're a smorgasbord" and I'd be offended.

And it hasn't stopped in my 30s.  "No wonder you're so skinny!  You need to eat meat!" or doctors asking me if I've ever had an eating disorder.  Excuse me, just because I'm not a giantess, doesn't mean I have an eating disorder.  Let me confisgate your license.  And now I'm married to a guy that makes the same jokes.  Here's a picture that he took right before our hike last week.  See his caption below:

Husband: "Which one is Amee's leg?"

I wear my skinny jeans with apprehension. Won't this just accentuate my beanpole-ness?  When are they going to come out with Beyonce Jeans?  I'm ready for thick jeans.

No one feels sorry for a skinny girl, but people make fun of us too.  It's back to school....be nice....and if you just can't help yourself, use a big word like smorgasbord.

Szechuan Style Green Beans

recipe by Earthbound Farm organic

If you like the green beans at PF Changs, you'll love these.  It's a great way to make veggies disappear off of a plate.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Hot chili flakes to taste

1 pound green beans, trimmed

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic (I recommend grating the garlic to avoid big chunks)

Directions:

1)  In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chili flakes. Set aside.
Place 1/4 cup water in a large skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans, cover the pan, and cook until the beans are crisp tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, and drain any water that remains in the pan.
2) Add the oil, ginger, and garlic to the beans in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the beans are lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Don't let the garlic burn. Add the soy mixture to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and glazes the beans, about 2 minutes.
3) Transfer to a platter and serve the beans hot or at room temperature.