Tasty Green Bean Bacon Bundles

Farmers Markets bring on fresh fruits and veggies from the season and Salt Lake City's Downtown Farmers market is no exception. I love the fresh fruits and veggies sold there by local food growers and you can rest assured you are purchasing the freshest of the fresh. This last trip provided me with a full (and heavy) grocery bag full of zucchini, cheeses and green beans. I love the snap of fresh green beans and the variety of green bean recipes out there left me wondering what exactly I would do this time. Paired with bacon (because hubby loves bacon in everything) and a light flavorful sauce, these green bundles are sure to please the green bean lover in you.
Adapted from OurBestBites.com

Ingredients
3/4 lb green beans, rinsed and ends snapped off
5 strips of bacon
3 Tablespoons real butter
1 Tablespoon yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon Xylitol (sugar substitute)
Salt and pepper to taste

                                             For nutrition information, click the magic button

 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

To blanch the beans, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the green beans and boil 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and put the beans in a colander with ice to immediately cool them off. This stops the cooking process but keeps the bring green color of the beans. It's called "Blanching" the beans. You can do this with most any vegetable. This process helps veggies retain their bright color and keeps them crispier then if you cooked them thoroughly.

Put the beans into five bundles and wrap each bundle with a strip of bacon. Lay them out on a large cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until bacon is crispy.

During the last 5 minutes the beans are baking, melt the butter in a small saucepan until bubbly. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant. Then add the vinegar and Xylitol (or regular white sugar if you prefer). Drizzle this over the cooked bundles and serve. Oh my, these were awesome!

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