Jon Gorman's Green Beans & Carrots

I announced not too long ago that my friend, Jon Gorman, would be a featured writer here at SoTV. Jon is a non-vegan, who is trying to cook more vegan and vegetarian dishes for health reasons and to reduce his household's dependency on animal products. He tries to stay away from meat substitutes and specializes in creating dishes that are great as sides or can be scaled up for a main course.  Here is Jon's first post, we hope you enjoy.

"I've been bringing this recipe for Green Beans and Carrots to various parties lately and gotten positive responses and questions on how to make it.

It's based off a recipe in "The Spice Merchant's Daughter", which is a bit of a fun read and has some interesting spice blends. The recipe itself is fairly amendable to substitutions and experimentation.

You'll want to do the veggie prep ahead of time, unless you're really quick in the kitchen."




Green Beans & Carrots

1 tsp Black Mustard Seed

1 tsp Cumin Seed

2-3 Dried Chile de Arbol (whole, unless you want the burn, then feel free to let those seeds loose. May want to start out w/ just one or two chiles till you know the heat of your bag o' peppers.)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 Shallots, diced

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 Medium Carrots, julienned

1 1/2 cups Fresh Green Beans

Kosher Salt to taste

Place the mustard seed, cumin seed, and chile de arbol in a small bowl. Heat the olive oil in a wok to medium. Put in the spice mix and cook until fragrant and the seeds begin to pop. This takes roughly 30 seconds. Add the shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the carrots and beans and another pinch of salt. Cook until the carrots and beans are tender, about 6-8 minutes.