Sesame Green Beans with Teriyaki Ginger Chicken Meatballs

 al fresco

1 12 oz package teriyaki chicken meatballs

1 lb fresh green beans, blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes, chill immediately and pat dry

4 oz Chinese plain noodles

Cooking spray, olive, extra-virgin, 1/3 sec. spray

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup duck sauce, sweet & tangy

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 cup Mandarin oranges w/light syrup

2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the Chinese noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles, reserve and keep warm.

Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat. Brown the meatballs for 2 minutes, turning. Add ½ of the reserved juice from the Mandarin oranges, cover to heat through for 1 minute. Remove from pan. Keep warm.

Add the olive oil to the pan, increase heat to high, and sear the green beans, about 2 minutes. Add the duck and hoisin sauces, remaining Mandarin orange juice, sesame seeds, and black pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes so that the sauce lightly glazes the beans.

Lightly toss in the Mandarin orange segments, carefully mixing together. 

I haven't worked with green beans in a while. I forgot what a satisfying crunch they have.

Serve immediately over the Chinese noodles topped with the meatballs.

I couldn't find chicken meatballs so I used beef ones and marinated them in teriyaki sauce. Unfortunately that didn't have quite the same effect.

My Rating: 4/5 "Points to this dish for being visually interesting, first of all. I also enjoyed the variety of textures and the freshness of the flavor combination. If I'd been able to find the right meatballs this might actually have been a 5/5, so if anybody has access and makes this I'd love to hear how it turns out."