These beans pack a serious punch. If you can’t find the type of peppers I use, you could substitute with two fresh jalapenos and one yellow bell pepper. The cashews in this are my favorite because they offer soft buttery relief from the heat of the dish. I’ve been going green bean crazy lately because the produce store near my apartment has a ton of fresh beans from Long Island. They are so cheap, and so delicious.
Ingredients
1 lb. fresh green beans ($1.12)
2 orange and 1 red spicy long peppers (sometimes called hot Italian peppers) ($1.11)
4 cloves garlic ($0.20)
1/2 tsp. cumin ($0.03)
1/2 tsp. five spice powder ($0.05)
1 tbsp. soy sauce ($0.05)
1 cup cashews ($1.27)
1 cup Israeli couscous (uncooked) ($1.12)
1/4 cup olive oil ($1.00)
1/2 cup water
1. Mince garlic, trim beans, and slice peppers. You should discard most of the pepper seeds or the spice will be overpowering.
2. Add olive oil, garlic, cashews, cumin, and five spice powder to a large saute pan, wok, or dutch oven. Heat low and stir consistently for about 5 minutes.
3. Add in green beans, peppers, water, and soy sauce. Cover the pot, check and stir occasionally for about 15 minutes. While everything is cooking in the pot, make your couscous according to package instructions, when it is done set it aside.
4. Uncover pot and crank the heat higher for about 3 minutes, stirring continuously. This part of the recipe serves to evaporate any excess water that may be in the bottom of the pot- the final product should not be soupy. Once this is done, lower the heat once again and cover the pot for an additional 20 minutes.
5. Now mix the couscous in with the green bean mixture, and voila!
Our Queens Kitchen 