Roasted Green Beans and Red Bell Pepper with Garlic and Ginger

4-5 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1 heaping tablespoon minced gingerroot
1 T olive oil (original recipe calls for 2 but i watch my oil intake)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 lb. thin French-style green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half
salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

I think this would also taste great with ground pork or ground chicken!

Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Mince 4-5 large garlic cloves, enough to make a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic. Peel ginger root and finely mince enough ginger to make a heaping tablespoon of minced ginger. Put olive oil, minced garlic, and minced ginger in a glass bowl or measuring cup and let it marinate while you prep vegetables. (This will slightly season the oil.)

Cut red bell pepper into fourths lengthwise, then remove seeds and trim any white pithy parts. Cut off rounded top and bottom parts to make it easier to cut even strips, then cut each piece of pepper into thin crosswise strips. Trim ends of green beans and cut them in half. (To trim beans easily, loosely grab a handful and stand them up on the cutting board to line up the ends, trim, and then repeat with the other end.)

Put the green beans and red pepper strips into a medium-sized bowl and then toss with the olive oil, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Spread the vegetables out on a large baking sheet, arranging it so vegetables aren't crowded (as much as you can.) Roast 15 minutes, or until a few beans are starting to look browned and the veggies are tender-crisp.

Serving Size: Makes 2-4 servings

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user PATCHERIFIC.