After all of the massive amounts of food and sweets around the holidays and a week of business travel, I need to get back to my lighter and healthier way of eating. Here’s a healthy light lunch that I threw together with some green beans and a persimmon that I had leftover in the fridge. Both of these recipes reinforce the fact that keeping it simple can yield some of the tastiest results.
Green Beans with Coconut and Sesame Seeds Recipe
Serves: 2
Prep and Cook time: 30 minutes or less
Ingredients
½ pound young green beans
¼ tsp. salt
water for blanching
1 tsp. white sesame seeds
1 tsp. black sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes
1 ½ tsp. unrefined peanut oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Blanch the beans to desired tenderness in salted boiling water. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process if you aren’t going to use immediately.
- While the beans are cooking, toast the sesame seeds in a heavy skillet, shaking frequently for even browning. When the seeds start to turn add the coconut. Continue to cook until coconut just starts to turn brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a saucer to keep the coconut from overcooking.
- Reheat the beans in the peanut oil.
- Top with seeds and coconut, and salt and pepper to taste.
Persimmon Carpaccio
Persimmon Carpaccio Recipe
A few weeks ago I made the Persimmon Carpaccio with a Wasabi Dressing from The Culinary Tribune. It was fabulous and I would highly recommend making it. I so loved the simplicity of thinly slicing a persimmon and topping with a little seasoning that I created an even simpler carpaccio using what I had readily accessible.
Serves: 2
Prep and Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
2 Fuyu persimmons, peeled and sliced thin
1 clementine orange or other orange citrus
A few really thin slices of sweet onion
Poppy seeds
Sea salt
Instructions
- Place the slices of persimmon on a plate.
- Squeeze the juice from ½ of a clementine orange over the slices of persimmon.
- Place the onion slices on the permission.
- Sprinkle with poppy seeds and a little sea salt.
Enjoy!
Kitchen Notes
The green beans
- Serve as a side for a variety of dishes. Obviously, I like them with the persimmon carpaccio, but they are also good with Soy-Ginger Chicken and Grilled Flank Steak.
- I usually buy enough green beans for 2 to 3 meals, blanch them all at one time, then use what I need. Having cooked beans in the fridge allows me to prepare them 2 to 3 different ways during the week.
- Small, young green beans are my favorite, but more mature beans work just fine.
Unrefined Peanut Oil – There’s peanut oil and then there’s peanut oil. My absolute favorite is Spectrum’s Unrefined Peanut Oil. It has so much flavor that you really don’t need to use much. I use it extensively for stir-fries, sautes, and Asian salad dressings.
The persimmons I used for the carpaccio were actually quite firm, but very sweet. The firmness made them easy to cut. Once a persimmon softens, I usually just peel it and eat it like a peach.
This post has been linked to the following blog hops. Be sure to click on the links for more exciting recipes.
Mouthwatering Monday Blog Hop, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, It’s a Keeper Thursday, Summer Salad Sundays, Keep It Real Thursdays
What a beautiful dish MJ! Persimmon is full of flavour and I love how you highlight the beans and fruit with the nuts, seeds and slivered onion…. I completely agree that wonderful things are born from simplicity.
I totally agree.. sometimes simple is the way to go.
I have never tried persimmons so here is another fruit I need to put on my list of must tries. I love the green beans with the sesame seeds. Beautifully presented and plated as always! 
Have a great week. ~ Ramona
Hi MJ – I love the look of this dish – colourful, fresh, beautiful, and no doubt delicious. A perfect light meal (could do with a few of those myself at the moment!). I love what you did with the persimmon especially – I always think it’s one of the most beautiful fruits once it’s sliced horizontally like that… The little lines coming out from the centre… beautiful!
HI Mj this is beautiful. I like the addition of the coconut flakes and poppy seeds and that the serving is for two. I still haven’t eaten a persimmon yet but I am going to look for them this week at the market. BTW, I added the pecans right into the soup.
Suzi, once you taste a persimmon you’ll want to be eating them all of the time! Thanks for answering my question about your lovely soup (http://www.cookingsgood.com/?p=1751).
What an interesting combination of flavours – looks light, fresh and delicious! Perfect for a healthy start to the new year. Thanks for sharing!
Yum! So light, refreshing, and beauteeful!
Persimmon carpacio? That is so cool. Persimmons are in my top 3 favorite fruits. It’s a shame I can never seem to find them. I miss them so much!
I love persimmons and green beans and can eat this light lunch any day! Certainly a great start to the new year!
Oh…this is totally my kind of food..simple, fresh and healthy..and yes easy peasy to cook!
You made two very interesting dishes, MJ!
I don’t like persimmons so much, but this carpaccio version is intriguing!
As for the green beans, I simply love them!!
I have never had persimmons and have been wondering what the texture is of the inside. Now I know thanks to your blog post. This does look like a good recipe to start with since I have never eaten nor prepared them. Your green beans I would be glad to eat anytime-yum!
Tina, you need to try persimmons. You’d love them! Also, being the wonderful baker that you are, you’d be interested to know that persimmons make a fantastic sweet bread!
Gorgeous, gorgeous clicks MJ! Your recipe sounds delicious too!
MJ – this is absolutely stunning! Not only are the colors gorgeous, I LOVE that you paired the persimmons with just a hint of onion….BRAVO!
Oh I miss the flavour of persimmon… it’s so difficult to find around here…
Fantastic clicks, you’d combined those fruit and nuts into healthier and delicious meal!
Lovely presentation and what a lovely pairing of food!
What a wonderful and original combination! I love the idea of having persimmon the savoury way.
I just love this!! Bookmarking for both recipes
It’s the end of persimmon season here so I need to enjoy them before they’re gone!
Beautiful, Simple, & Delicious!
I never know what to do with persimmons. But your persimmon carpaccio is brilliant. Thanks for this.
Wow, that’s a gorgeous, simple dinner. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen persimmons look quite that pretty, and the colors–fabulous!
a nice way to prepare persimmons!
Your pictures are gorgeous! Love!
That looks very appetizing, MJ! We’re not so into persimmons here, but we love green beans, and I just love how you used sesame seeds and coconut flakes to make it more fun to eat!
i had never had persimmons before a few weeks ago. Now I love them. This looks great!!
I’ve never had a persimmon before but I’ll definitely have to give one a shot. So creative of you to throw together coconut and green beans, I never would have thought!
My mom always says persimmons have great carotene and I should be eating this. As a kid I hated it… taste was for an adult (I thought so) and the texture didn’t seem like “fruit”. Now I wish I take that back and enjoy as much as I could. I love persimmons. However, I’ve never eaten them like this. So interesting! I need to try it. I don’t have them at home right now, but can’t wait to eat it. I’m on healthy diet side, so this works perfect for my plan!
I love persimmons but there are not very many recipes for them other than just to eat them out of hand.
This looks wonderful and your photography is just stunning. Thanks for visiting my blog.
They both look fantastic! I keep meaning to pick up some persimmons, now I will
Love carpaccio style fruits and veggies, did some mushrooms up the other day 
I have three persimmons sitting on my table and would love to try this persimmon carpaccio! yum!
Beautiful dish! I’ll have to look for some persimmons at the market.
Wonderful idea! I really love persimmon, and we get a ton of them growing around here. Pinned so that I can make it come persimmon season!
MJ, lovely colour combo in this dish. I don’t think I’ve ever used persimmons. Thanks for linking up. Cheers