Cranberry Hazelnut Green Beans

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (salt water to taste--about a tsp). Add beans and blanch for about 4 minutes or until beans are tender-crisp. Don't overcook or they'll get mushy. Drain pot and plunge beans into ice water. This will stop the cooking process and keep your beans a beautiful green color. Drain beans and pat dry.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and swirl around pan. Add thinly-sliced shallots and cook for a few minutes or until edges start becoming lightly browned.

Add beans to pan with shallots and cook for a few minutes, until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add cranberries and nuts and cook an additional minute, tossing all ingredients together.

Salt & pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Tip: Blanch your beans in advance--even the day before you need them--and store them in the refrigerator. This will make prep much faster when you have a dozen other things going on. ;)