Healthy Green Bean Casserole

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Hahaha, can you tell I already miss Halloween?

Every year, I wish the month of October would last longer, but I do look forward to Thanksgiving dinner as well as Christmas! As I've gotten older, Christmas has definitely lost a bit of its magic, but having Jade and Nat makes it better! Jade will be 3 this month, and Natalie will be 1 next month, so they are definitely developing a sense of holidays and (more importantly to them) presents.

I'm in the process of planning a little birthday party for them, so if anyone knows of any DIY blogs for cool kid crafts or party ideas, let me know in the comments! 🙂

Today, I'm sticking with the Thanksgiving theme by recreating what appears to be one of the most popular side dishes in America. The green bean casserole.

To tell you the truth, I've only had the bad canned version of this, so I didn't know how that would compare to a fresh recipe....but boys and girls!.....this is freakin' good!

I made this the night we had company, and it was the first thing to disappear! My husband said he wasn't even going to try it at first, but ended up loving it! 🙂 Score!!

The homemade french fried onions really take it over the top, and they're so easy to do!

No canned beans, no canned MSG-loaded Cream of Mushroom soup...nothing but fresh deliciousness to wow both you and your Thanksgiving guests.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

1 1/2 c. any milk you tolerate, warmed

1-2 T. butter or coconut oil (any oil you like would be fine)

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, chopped

3/4 t. dried thyme

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. salt

several grinds of black pepper

3 T. arrowroot (flour would work as well)

1/4 c. cold water

16 oz. fresh green beans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Steam the beans for a few minutes, just until bright green and slightly tender. (Be sure to warm your milk as well.)

Heat the oil or butter in a skillet. Saute the onion for a few minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook until most of the water has evaporated (about 5-7 minutes). Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. In a separate bowl, mix the cold water with the arrowroot. Pour this mix into the warm milk and whisk until thickened. Pour the milk mix into the mushroom mix and heat everything for about 1 minute. (If you're using flour, add it in now along with 1/4 cup of water, and stir until thickened. Disregard directions regarding the arrowroot.) Taste for more seasoning at this time then pour everything into an oiled 8 x 8 baking dish, and bake it for 20 minutes. Remove, and top with the french fried onions (recipe below).

FRENCH FRIED ONIONS

2 large shallots, sliced into shallot rings

2 t. grapeseed oil (or any oil you like)

salt

Preheat the oven to 380 degrees. Heat the oil in a small non-stick skillet. Saute the rings for about 5 minutes, then place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt, and bake the rings for about 15 minutes, but watch them closely! After 10 minutes, some will brown faster than others, and they may burn quickly. They will crisp more as they cool too. Use them as topping in the above recipe.