Roasted Garlic Green Beans with Lemon and Parmesan

gluten-free // yields 6-8 side dish servings

ingredients:

1 medium head of garlic

2 1/2 tablespoons melted ghee, or olive oil

2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed

1/3 cup sliced almonds

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

salt + pepper

directions:

Preheat your oven to 375* F. Slice about 1/4 of the top end of your garlic clove off [not the stem end] and peel away the outer layers. Place on a sheet of foil and drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of melted ghee/oil over top then sprinkle with salt. Secure in the foil and place in your oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown and tender. Open and let cool for 10 minutes, then squeeze the stem end to release the cloves. Chop the roasted cloves.

While the garlic is roasting toss the beans with remaining melted ghee/oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 32-38 minutes until starting to brown. Toss once or twice while roasting.

While roasting place a dry medium-sized pan over med-low heat. Add sliced almonds to the pan. Watch closely and stir frequently until just starting to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Once beans are done roasting toss with lemon juice, lemon zest, and chopped roasted garlic. Spread onto a platter and top with parmesan, toasted almonds, and more salt + pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

Remember how I was just gushing about my love for cycling?

Well, yesterday I fell off my bike. And when you fall off a bike with clipless pedals the bike goes right along with you. Meaning, it falls on top of you. Before I could unlatch my foot from the pedal I somehow rode off the sidewalk, got caught at the edge, and then fell flat over on the sidewalk. Good thing I was at almost a complete stop and good thing for that helmet. If you have ever worn clipless pedals before you most likely have had a similar experience.

This doesn't dampen my love for cycling, I just found the timing to be funny.

Of course there was a witness to the scene about 10 steps in front of me. To see someone on their bike almost at a complete stop fall flat over must have been quite the site. Embarasssing.

My leg + arm are a little scuffed but nothing too bad at all. These things are bound to happen I suppose!

Now let's talk about these burgers.

And this cheese.

There is a time and place for cheese and this is definitely it.

Gooey, melty, stretchy cheese.

I'm kind of on a temporary hiatus from my go-to Mexican style flavors. They're just not doing it for me at the moment. Veggie burgers are so great to have on hand for dinners and lunches but can get a little boring if you don't change up the flavors every now + again.

This mix of flavors is exactly what I was looking for.

There's the fresh, summery scent from the basil and a kick of robustness from the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.

Topped with a thick slice of tomato and fresh mozzarella then sent off to your broiler to get all hot + bubbly.

Served up open-faced style.

Print this!

Basil, Garlic, + Tomato Veggie Burgers

gluten-free, vegan [w/o cheese topping] // yields 6-8, 3-inch patties

2 cups chopped lacinato/dino kale, stems removed + lightly packed
1 3/4 cup chickpeas, rinsed + drained
2/3 cup chopped yellow onion
5 tablespoons coarsely chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3-2/3 cup partially ground gluten-free rolled oats
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4+ teaspoon salt/pepper
oil or ghee for cooking
toppings: sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, 1/2 bun

Place kale, chickpeas, onion, basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes in your large food processor and pulse until all ingredients are well-chopped and uniform in size. Do not puree. You want the mixture a bit chunky with the chickpeas broken down.
Add in 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse to combine.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add 1/3 cup partially ground oats [ground about 1/2-way to flour], sunflower seeds, and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper.
Stir to combine. The mixture should easily form patties and not feel wet/mushy or dry/stiff, you want it right in between. *If the mixture feels dry, add 1/2-1 tablespoon more olive oil and stir to combine. If the mixture is too wet add 1 tablespoon more of the ground oats at a time until patties form. The amount of oil needed will vary depending on how oily your sun-dried tomatoes + how wet your onioins are. I ended up needing 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 cup of oats.
Heat a large pan over medium heat and add enough oil or ghee to lightly coat the pan.
Form a few patties while it's heating about 3-inches wide and 1/2-inch thick.
Once hot add a few patties to the pan [do not overcrowd] and cook for about 5 minutes until golden brown, then carefully flip and cook another 4-5 minutes.
Place patties on a wire rack and continue to cook the rest of the patties.
Preheat your oven to broil on high.
Place burgers on a baking sheet and top with a slice of tomato [lightly patted with a towel] and fresh mozzarella.
Place until the broiler until bubbling + golden brown. Broil time will vary depending on your oven.
Top with black pepper + basil and serve over a toasted bun.

And just wait until you see what I do with veggie burgers next week. They're going to end up on a Friday post if that gives you any clues.

In the meantime, enjoy these summery-style burgs!

Ashley

pssst...check out this mountaintop wedding I shot in May over on my photography site!

Also! If you live in the Denver/Ft. Collins/Boulder area I'm running a summer photo special! Contact me for more details! The photo below is a shot from my sister-in-law's senior photo session last week.