Spicy 'Chinese Take-Out' Green Beans

My baby's 16th birthday is coming up and she's requested her favorite dish - homemade pork fried rice. We're expecting quite a few people at her party....about 22 to 26 - so we're filling in the dinner with egg rolls and salad and, deciding we needed one more item to round out the whole meal - I went searching the internet for an 'asian-type' green bean dish. We all like beans and can take some spice so that seemed the perfect fit. I found a few different recipes, and morphed them to fit our palette. I made them Friday night to test'em out....they were so good! Two friends happened by while I was making them and one said they were the best beans he'd ever eaten! So - need a really good and spicy (not too spicy) green bean? Here you go ;-)Ingredients are simple - you probably have all of these in your kitchen already... Oyster sauce, sesame oil, green beans (blanched), soy sauce (I like low sodium), red pepper and garlic (and salt and pepper of course) - oh...and red pepper flakes too, I just forgot to put them in the pic!

In a medium skillet over medium high heat, heat the sesame oil and add the red pepper and stir in hot oil for approx 2 minutes - add garlic and stir another minute. Next, add in the blanched green beans and toss. Pour in oyster & soy sauce and season with salt and pepper and continue to toss beans to coat and heat them through - about 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve hot alongside your favorite meat or fish and other side dish :-) I promise the yum-factor on these beans is WAY high!

Spicy 'Chinese Take-Out' Green Beans

Ingredients:

1 lb green beans - blanched (add beans to boiling water - boil for 4 - 5 mins then transfer beans to ice water bath to cool and stop cooking. Remove cooled beans from ice water to colander to sit until ready to use)

1/2 T sesame oil

1/4 of a red pepper - finely diced

3 to 4 big cloves garlic - minced

2 T oyster sauce

1 T low sodium soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

teaspoon or two of red pepper flakes (opptional)

Directions:

Pour sesame oil into hot medium skillet and add red pepper, stir-frying for about 2 minutes - add garlic and cook for additional 1 minute. Add in blanched green beans and toss. Pour in oyster & soy sauce and toss well to coat beans. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add in red pepper flakes if you choose and continue to toss until beans are heated through - approx 4 to 5 minutes. Serve hot!