Now, I’m not going to tell you I can pronounce the name of this recipe. This is a Lebanese green bean stew. It’s also a very simple dish that could be made on a week night. Lately on Sundays, I have been helping my husband with our new to us house. It was his childhood home and became ours. We ended up gutting the house because it needed to be upgraded in so many ways and we also didn’t like the layout. Long story short, I don’t as much time as I would like to cook my usual Sunday recipes. So, I am on the hunt for recipes that don’t have a lot of ingredients and are easy to make and taste amazing. So many of the Middle Eastern recipes that I have tried have been just that. When I found this recipe from Mediterranean Eatz, I was hooked. Green beans that have been stewed in tomatoes with simple flavors. I am going to play around with the vegetables and make it more like a meal. It needs a bit more protein and vitamins. However, the essence of the recipe still stays the same. Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I deleted the added salt to reduce the sodium.
• I replace the tomato products with pumpkin puree and red bell pepper in remove the tomato and increase the vitamin A and C.
• I added frozen peas to increase the protein.
• I added brown basmati rice for added bulk to round out the meal.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Loubyeh b’zeit (Vegetarian Green Bean Stew)

Serves 4

• 2 lbs fresh flat green beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 15oz can of pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup brown basmati rice

1. Wash green beans, trim the ends and cut into two inch pieces.
2. Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil, onions and bell peppers and cook for five minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add green bean and pepper.  Cover and cook for five minutes.
3. Add in pumpkin puree and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer covered for 20-25 minutes.
4. Add the rice and 1.5 cups of water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes.
5. Serve stew over rice.