Baked Green Bean Fries

I cooked something that isn't a dessert. Imagine that. We've been meatless since October and while I wouldn't call myself a vegetarian (I've had chicken here and there), I definitely haven't missed meat. It makes maintaining a food blog a little difficult when all I have been eating is stir-fry variations, though. Have any vegetarian blogs you want to share with me?

I love green beans. They're right up there with zucchini for me. I've made baked zucchini sticks but this was my first time making green bean fries. They're slightly time consuming because there are quite a few steps, but they're worth it. They're crispy and crunchy and I didn't feel guilty about eating them at all. I don't think I had quite a half pound of green beans so I didn't follow Macaroni & Cheesecake's measurements exactly, but I basically used the same ingredients. She also made a dipping sauce that I skipped, but it looks good so check out her site for that recipe.

 Source: Macaroni & Cheesecake
Makes: The recipe is for 1/2 pound - you can adjust as needed

Ingredients
1/2 pound fresh green beans

Flour Mixture
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder (I think I used garlic salt)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder

Egg Mixture
1 egg
1 cup milk (I used 2%)

Breading Mixture
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
(I had a seasoned panko on hand, if you have plain, season it with some salt & pepper)

Directions
Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Cover a large baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick spray (I used an EVOO one) and set aside.

In a medium pot, add 2-3" of water and some salt and bring to a boil.

While you're waiting for the water to boil (put a lid on the pot to speed it up), trim the ends off the green beans.

Once the water is boiling, add the green beans and boil for approximately 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, add ice and water to a large bowl to make an ice bath.

After 3 minutes, drain the green beans and add them to the ice bath. Let them cool down, then drain and pat the green beans dry.

For the Flour Mixture
In a small bowl, add the flour, garlic powder/salt, paprika, and onion powder. Whisk it together and set aside.

For the Egg Mixture
In another bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Add about 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk it to combine. Set aside.

For the Breading
In a third bowl, pour in your panko bread crumbs. If you're not using the seasoned kind, sprinkle in some salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.

To Assemble
Set up an assembly line in the following order - green beans, flour mix, egg mix, bread crumbs, pan.

Dredge each green bean into the flour, then dip it in the egg mix, then dip it in the bread crumbs. Make sure you fully coat the green beans with each step. Line them in a single layer on your baking sheet.

Bake the green beans for around 15 minutes, until the breading is golden brown and crispy. You can sprinkle with salt when they come out but I skipped this step since I had used garlic salt and salted the boiling water.

I mixed up a dipping sauce of ranch with a little bit of Frank's hot sauce. Simple & so good.