To me, Thanksgiving requires copious amounts of food that is really, really delicious, but seriously bad for you – and your waistline.  So, since it isn’t Thanksgiving for me, without a side dish of green beans, I opted to try something new – lighter, and healthier – to fill the spot normally taken by the infamous “green bean casserole.”

When I think light, I think a drizzle of olive oil, garlic & lemon zest.  And that is just what the doctor ordered.

I started with about 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in small pan.  And I threw in some minced garlic and heated the oil until it was infused with garlic (the oil was simmering for about a minute or two.  I then turned the heat off and removed it from the stove.

Then, I steamed  my bagged and pre-cut green beans in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes (I got my bagged green beans from the produce department at Whole Foods.  They were a little pricier – but saved a lot of time, effort and mess.)  Once the green beans were steamed, I put them in a large bowl, tossed in about a 1/2 cup slivered almonds (which I got from the bulk section of Whole Foods), drizzled the olive oil & garlic over the beans, and squeezed half a large lemon’s worth of lemon juice on top.

Then I served – and people enjoyed!  It was light, refreshing, and healthy.  A nice alternative from the heavy mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy & sugar filled cranberry sauce.

Green Beans & Almond Slivers (serves about 10-12 as a side dish)

• 6 servings of green beans (2 bags of green beans from WF)
• 1/2 large lemon
• 1/2 cup almond slivers (more if you like)
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp (maybe more) of EVOO

Put the olive oil in a small pan, throw in the garlic and heat until the olive oil is infused with the garlic.  Turn off heat, and set aside.  Steam green beans (I didn’t mine in the microwave), and put in a large bowl.  Toss in the slivered almonds, drizzle with olive oil & garlic, and squeeze the the lemon juice of the 1/2 large lemon onto the beans.  Serve and enjoy.