Green Beans with Balsamic Red Onion

The original of this recipe is from the June 2010 issue of Diabetes Forecast. That article is linked to the title of this post. Over the last year, I have greatly simplified the procedure for quicker cooking and fewer dishes to clean. The trade off is a slight reduction in texture differences. I normally cook this for two people and so merely eyeball the amounts. You will need:

• Green beans
• red onion
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• almond slivers
• salt & pepper

SWMBO prefers her green beans softer than I do. I can eat them raw; she hates when they squeak on her teeth. If you prefer crisper beans, you can skip steps 2 & 3 and just add the beans after the onion has been cooked.

Procedure:

1. Choose a good, heavy skillet with a lid. Warm it on the stove.
2. Put a shallow layer of water in the skillet, add the green beans, and simmer/steam them until they are almost cooked to your preferred level of crisp/soft.
3. Remove and set aside the beans, dump the water, and let the pan dry / rewarm on the stove.
4. Make sure the pan isn’t too hot, as olive oil smokes at a low temperature and is nasty when it does.
5. Put a bit of olive oil in the skillet.
6. Add one thick, quartered slice of red onion for each person.
7. Sauté the onion to desired level, stirring frequently. I like it when it just clarifies, SWMBO prefers it caramelized, so I usually cook it until it has clarified and the edges and thinner bits are browning.
8. Splash in some balsamic vinegar, add the green beans, stir, and cover for a couple minutes.
9. Check, stir, recover as needed.
   
10. Salt and pepper to taste, toss on some almond slivers, stir, and remove from heat.
11. Serve it up.

Enjoy!