The local farm market had some end of the season green and wax beans. I will miss fresh local produce after the frost has hit. Hopefully it will be late October or early November. I seem to always steam them with herbs. Today, I dug out an old recipe from a local Greek Church. They serve these beans at their annual festival. They are oh so yummy.

The original recipe had a lot of olive oil in it. I lightened it in this version. I also took a shortcut and used canned tomatoes. The result was no different than the original recipe. These beans really pack some big flavor into a side dish. For bariatric patients, the tomato based sauce makes the beans so much more moist.

Greek String Beans

1 lb. string beans
2 TBS olive oil
1 large onion, roughly diced
½ cup chopped celery
3 cloves of garlic
1 14 oz. can of Italian style diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried rosemary or 1 TBS fresh
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 TBS fresh
1 tsp dried parley or 1 TBS fresh
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Cut off ends of beans and wash in cold water. Cut in pieces. Coarsely chop onions and celery. In a large saucepan, sauté with garlic for a few minutes until onion are transparent. Watch not to burn garlic. Add diced tomatoes, beans, herbs, salt and pepper. Add 1 can of water. Stir. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes until beans reach desired doneness.