Vegan Haricots Verts á l'Anglaise

[Buttered Green Beans I]

Julia says that buttered green beans go wtih almost anything - and I would have to agree...

...this was so simple - you just toss the hot blanched beans in a skillet over moderately high heat to evaporate the moisture...

..add some salt and pepper and top with some butter - Earth Balance of course...Julia suggests forming it into shells - I've got to get some cute little butter molds - but the fresh green beans are such a pretty dish anyway...

Substitutions:
only Earth Balance for the butter

VEGAN HARICOTS VERTS BLANCHIS

[Blanched Green Beans - Preliminary Cooking]

All of Julia's green bean recipes start with this simple blanched recipe...

These are the first fresh green beans of the season - just tipped - washed and patted dry...

...drop by handfuls into boiling salted water...

...and boil for 10-15 minutes...

...and drain as soon as they are done...

...That's it - super simple - so far - and no substitutions...

Vegan Concombres aux Champignons et à la Crème

[Creamed Cucumbers with Mushrooms]

Cucumbers were on sale for 79¢ so I got some and made another cucumber dish...

...First you bake the cucumbers - I used less salt this time - and then you make a cream sauce...

...Just mix some cornstarch with some cream (I used soymilk with powdered soymilk added to make it creamy - but I think plain soymilk would work or soy creamer)...add your mushrooms, salt and pepper and then add your baked cucumbers...

...This was a super easy recipe...and practically everything is better in a cream sauce...

...the baked cucumbers have such an interesting flavor and texture...

Substitutions:
Soy Milk with Powdered soymilk for the cream
Earth Balance for the butter in the Baked Cucumbers

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

p. 501