Szechuan Green Beans, or I Know What You Did Last Summer (and Happy Autumn Equinox, too)

September 21, 2014

Though I’ve neglected to type and publish, I’ve had a busy summer full of a variety of new ventures. I left y’all right before Easter, with this parting thought:

I’m going to beat the ides and get over the seasonal depression and become newly inspired for Philly, and life, and myself.

I totally forgot about this until rereading it, and with the upcoming change of seasons, this was a perfect time to rejoin the blogosphere. Plus I owed Chrystina the recipe to these Szechuan green beans I made for a dinner party, which is honestly the whole reason I got back on here. If I’m going to type it out, I might as well blog it, right? This led to the inevitable “let’s contemplate the meaning of life” and where the past 6 months have brought me. How did I “become newly inspired for Philly, and life, and myself” as I set out to do? Here’s how, in no particular order:

• I took a part-time job working twice a week at a restaurant/bar on South Street
• I started running and completed my first 5k
• My dad visited me for a weekend and we had one of the best conversations and bonding times over a bottle of wine and live jazz. He’s been one of the biggest encouragements to me lately.
• I learned so much about the food industry that I decided to continue following a mostly vegan lifestyle even after Lent (yes, I’ve cheated with an Ishkabibble’s cheesesteak at 1 a.m.)
• I came to believe in magic carpets and made my second appearance on a Broadway stage (technically I was on the stage! Shout out to fellow Harrison School for the Arts grad, Yurel, who is in Aladdin and took us backstage!)
• I traveled to Arizona to meet my niece, Emilia, for the first time; I am well on my way to being “crazy Aunt Carly” and cannot wait to take her to the bar (never mind that I’ll be in my 40s by that time)
• I presented a break-out session at two conferences
• I have been planning my 5 year college reunion at Stetson University Homecoming — wait, what? How many years?
• I took a summer graduate course in Marketing and met a new friend, made strong professional connections, and developed a pretty decent idea for a company that I wish I had time and resources to pursue further
• I had absolutely no dating/boy drama. No, really! I don’t think…
• For the first time, I was drunk at the Phillies game. Solid points on my Philadelphian status right there.
• I got to be home with family and friends in Florida twice in 3 months
• Along with a committee, I developed curriculum for a college course
• I joined Monster Milers, a volunteer group that takes shelter dogs for walks/runs
• After taking on another side job doing work for a digital marketing and advertising company, I became temporarily obsessed with Reese’s peanut butter cups as result of working on a project for Hershey’s
• I had one of the best weeks and most relaxing times of my life down the shore with cousins

I guess it’d be hard to argue that I didn’t become more involved in life and Philly and myself in mostly positive ways. Now that summer is ending and the autumn solstice ushers in the cooler weather, a grounding, and of course preparing for winter and the holidays and all, I think I can calmly welcome the longer darkness. I always did love fall.

I have no idea how to tie green beans back into this post, except for maybe adding it into my adventures of eating a plant-based diet, reminiscing of my summer of 2012 trip to China, and learning that cooking is a therapy for me. What really makes this dish is a combination — to taste — of my 3 new best kitchen friends:

Sriracha, chili garlic, and hoisin

So, here it is, a spicy, warming, delicious rendition of my favorite authentic Chinese dish. I put it together reviewing a variety of online recipes for Szechuan green beans but didn’t really stick to the book on measurements (as per my usual) so these are estimates. I taste as I go. I also use and recommend all organic ingredients when possible.

SZECHUAN GREEN BEANS

Ingredients

Oil (sesame recommended, but I use coconut or olive oil)

1 lb. fresh green beans, rinsed and with ends trimmed

1 tblsp fresh minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium variety is recommended)

1 tblsp fresh minced ginger (or powdered)

1 cup chili garlic sauce (or amount to taste)

1 cup hoisin sauce (or amount to taste)

1 cup chopped or halved peanuts

1 tblsp fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley if you prefer)

OPTIONAL: Sriracha

Directions

1. In an oil-coated pan, fry the garlic and green beans on medium heat until beans are wrinkly
2. Add soy sauce, onions, and ginger, stir, then simmer for ~5 min.
3. Add chili garlic, hoisin sauce, and the peanuts and stir until beans are coated; simmer for ~5 min.
4. Before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro and Sriracha for more heat (Szechuan cuisine is supposed to be spicy!)

Bon appetit! Enjoy the green beans, and enjoy some new things in life, too. ~CkB

Written by carlykbad Posted in 20-Something, Lists, Philadelphia, Recipes, Wellness Tagged with 5k, Arizona, autumn, autumn equinox, Broadway, cheesesteak, China, cooking, down the shore, fall, Florida, green beans, Harrison School for the Arts, Hershey's, Ishkabibbles, life, Monster Milers, Philadelphia, Phillies, plant-based diet, recipe, Reese's, running, shelter, South Street, Sriracha, Stetson University, summer, szechuan, vegan, volunteer