Hi everyone.  I am alive and well and only slightly frazzled with everything going on.  This is the week of Thanksgiving in America so for the next few days we’re going to be talking about how to make Thanksgiving feasts.  And then we’ll follow that up with how to turn Thanksgiving feasts into awesome Thanksgiving leftovers.

I wanted to start with the old standby: Green Bean Casserole.  Why?  1) Because I love the stuff and 2) Because it’s ridiculously unhealthy as is.  Think about it, it is canned green beans (mmm…sodium) and fried onions stewed in cream of mushroom soup.  Wait a minute…no wonder it’s so good.

Anyway, my recipe for making Green Bean Casserole is pretty straightforward, but is a whole lot healthier.

You will need:

• 1 bag of frozen green beans
• Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons of Old Bay
• 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup of reduced fat chedder cheese (optional)
• 1 cup of oyster crackers or roughly crushed saltines

To make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Boil the green beens in salted water for 5-7 minutes or until al dente.
3. Drain and add lemon juice.  Set aside.
4. In a preheated skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, the onions, and the seasonings.  Cook until the onions are soft.
5. Combine the green beans, the onions, and the cans of soup in a oven safe dish and bake until the soup is bubbly.
6. If cheese is desired, add about five minutes into the baking prcoess.
7. Add the crackers right before serving so that they stay crispy.

The key to this recipe for me is the Old Bay seasoning on the onions.  It gives them a flavor I prefer to fried onions.  To make up for the texture of green bean casserole, I added saltines to the top of the casserole.

 Enjoy!