French beans make great finger food for children, and are ideal for anyone who doesn’t like the ‘stringy’ bits in runner beans! A few plants will reward you with a reliable crop and they come in a variety of colours – as well as the usual green beans, there are cream, yellow, flecked, and purple French beans that all look as good as they taste.
Nutritional benefits
• Contain little amounts of sodium, saturated fats and cholesterol making them the best natural aid for weight loss.
• Rich in folates which prevent the foetus from neural-tube defects especially when eaten during pregnancy.
• Contain phosphorous, calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium, protein, fat, starch and omega 3 fatty acids which are essential to body health
• Rich source of, vitamins A, B, D and K.
• Rich in dietary fibre which helps in regulating fats in the body.
• Contain flavonoids and antioxidants which nullify the attack of harmful free radicals in the body thus preventing aging.
Availability
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||||||||||
Common Recipes
Beef with French beans
Ingredients
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ kg beef steak cut into cubes or strips
• 1 cup french beans, trimmed
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 red chili, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste
Method
• In a very large skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the steak, salt, pepper and cook, tossing or stirring constantly just until browned, about 4 minutes. Remove the cooked steak to a plate.
• Add the onion and sauté until golden brown. Add green beans, ginger, and garlic to the juices left in the skillet. Toss to combine, add water, and cover with lid. Continue cooking over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
• Uncover and continue tossing the green beans in the skillet constantly until the green beans are crisp-tender, about 5-7 minutes.
• Return the beef and any juices to the skillet along with the soy sauce. Toss quickly to coat and cook about a minute. Sprinkle with more red chili.
• Serve immediately. You can have it with rice or just as it is.