Green and yellow beans with peppers and garlic

I use string beans for this recipe, a mixture of yellow and green. The sesame oil adds an interesting flavour to the dish.

Ingredients

1/2 lb green beans

1/2 lb yellow beans

2 tsp olive oil

1 small red and one small yellow pepper (seeded and julienned)

1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

1 tsp sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste.

Method

Boil the bean until tender but crisp, about 3 mins

Drain, plunge in iced water to stop the cooking then drain again

Heat olive oil over a medium heat( I use a wok here )

Add the peppers and cook for about 2 mins

Add the beans and cook for a couple more minutes

Add the chili and garlic, and saute until cooked.

Drizzle with the sesame oil and season.

A ZERO cholesterol dish with only 50 cals a serving!!!

Bigilla - Maltese bean dip

This traditional dish is extremely popular in Malta - and again and safe thing to make as you cant go wrong!

The main ingredient is broad beans (or fava beans). In Malta, the beans used are called 'Ful'. They grow abundantly and are really good fresh with some olive oil and garlic

Ingredients

1 lb dried broad beans

2 tsp parsley

1 head of garlic crushed

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp of mixed marjoram & mint, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

Soak beans overnight (or at least 12 hours)

Replace water. Add salt to taste

Bring to boil & simmer until beans are soft. (you may need to add more boiling water to be sure that the beans do not stick to the pan!)

Mash beans lightly and place them in a serving dish

Add other ingredients to taste
Pour olive oil on top and add some more parsley for decoration