Green Bean Oven Fries

Crispy Crunchy Green Bean Oven Fries
makes 3 servings

Ingredients:
2 c. Fresh, trimmed green beans
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 egg whites, beaten
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp ground dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
Pam olive oil cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 450F

In a pot of salted boiling water, blanche* green beans for 3-5 minutes, just until they turn bright green. Drain and dry beans on a paper towel. In a small bowl, mix panko, 1 tbsp. corn starch, and spices. I like to crush up the panko a little to make smaller crumbs for better coverage.

Put the whole wheat flour into a paper bag, and add your green beans. Crumple the top of the bag closed and shake to lightly coat each bean in flour. Now it's time to set up your breading station.

I use two large-but-shallow rectangular tupperware containers to reduce messiness. Pour egg whites into one, and your crumb mixture into the other. Have a baking pan standing by to put your finished 'fries' on. Tap each bean to shake off excess flour, then dunk in the egg whites. Let any excess egg drip off before dropping them into the crumbs. Don't try to do them all at once, do small batches of 5-6 beans at a time to keep things organized and neat. Finally, take your green beans out of the crumbs, gently tap to remove extra bits, and place on your baking tray. Make sure your beans have room between them or they will stick together in a big gross bready clump. Once your beans are all laid out, spray over the entire pan with a 5 second spritz of olive oil spray. Bake at 450F for 25 min or until desired level of crunchiness is reached.

You can adjust the spices in the recipe to reflect the flavors of your main dish, just use your imagination and be mindful of your portion sizes.

* To blanche your green beans: Drop trimmed beans into boiling salted water. Do not walk away. Let them cook for 3-5 minutes, just until they turn bright green. Keep a bowl of ice water nearby, and as soon as the beans change color, drain them and drop them immediately into the cold water to stop the cooking process. Let them soak in the ice water for 3-5 minutes, until they are cold to the touch, before draining.

Nutritional Info per serving(as calculated by MFP):
Cal 150, carb 27g, fat 1g, protein 7g