Sorry about the pic, trust me, its good.

Green beans and tomatoes will always mean summer to me.  I will always remember the smell of the tomato plants in the heavy summer air, the excitement of seeing a glimpse of bright red amidst the green foliage, the hard cracked surface of the garden giving way to the moist soft black soil underneath, and the grashoppers speading in waves before me as I stoop to pick the long slender beans.   I used to Love summer, but now I live in Arizona and the idea of summer has completely changed.  Summer now is unbearable heat, staying inside and out of the sun, Air conditioner on high, and 95 degrees at 4:00 in the morning.  So yes, I know that for most of the country summer is over, but for me it is still very much here.

This is why I choose to include one of my favorite dishes I made this summer, a perfect Greek-inspired summer meal.  We eat it as a main dish, but it would work well as a side also, and  you would be hard pressed to find a heathier meal.

Here’s what you’ll need:

A Skillet or Saucepan with a lid.

1 pound green beans.  I use frozen green beans to save me work, just buy the frozen whole green beans and dump them in.  Feel free to use fresh if you have some, I prefer to snap off the ends but I’ve heard you don’t have to. Canned green beans would not work well, too much liquid.

The best.

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes.  I love canned tomatoes, they are canned at the height of their ripeness, and they are a staple in my kitchen.  I use Muir Glen brand mostly, they have a great flavor, but really any brand will do.

1/4 of an onion or about 1/4 cup.  Small dice or chopped, whatever.

2 Tablespoon of fresh garlic, minced.  The minced garlic from a jar is ok also.  If you’re in a pinch use garlic powder,   I’d guess 1 Tablespoon of garlic powder would do.

Oil-I’m not gonna tell you how much to use, just use what you’re comfortable with.  I use maybe 2-3 Tablespoons.  Olive oil is my favorite.

Heat up your pan on medium high heat.  I use the number seven setting on my glass cooktop.

Add the oil, roll it around the pan, when it shimmers, its ready.

Add the onions and sautee for about 5 minutes.  Sautee literally means “to jump” so keep those onions moving.

Add the garlic, give it another 3 to 5 minutes, don’t let the garlic burn, there are few things nastier than burned garlic.

Add the tomatoes and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  (Incidentally, this makes a great simple pasta sauce,  just let it simmer for 30 minutes or so if you want to use it for pasta)

Add the green beans.  Cover and reduce the heat to medium,  simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir every 7 minutes or so.

Remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a bit.

Eat up.