Baked Green Bean Fries with Wasabi Dipping Sauce

Recently I have discovered that tahini (sesame) paste is a great binding substitute for eggs. I feel like a whole new world of cooking and baking has opened up to me. I try to avoid eggs as often as I can and I can’t wait to see what else I can make using this substitution. These “fries” are healthy, tasty and kid friendly. To make the wasabi dipping sauce I used white beans pureed with a few other ingredients to make it protein packed but not lacking in flavor. This is also a vegan dish. Enjoy!

Green Bean Fries ingredients and directions:

about 35-40 green beans tips cut off and blanched (see below for instructions)
1 cup flour
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
3/4 cup tahini paste mixed well with 1 cup of water
2 cups of panko bread crumbs

Heat oven to 475 degrees

Rinse green beans and cut the ends off. Put in them in a pot of water and bring to boil for about 2-3 minutes, then drain. Once they are drained immediately put them into a bowl of water and ice (this is called blanching). Leave the beans in the ice bath until you start your breading.

Use 3 separate bowls: In the first bowl mix flour, paprika and salt. In the second bowl mix tahini paste with water. Mix these well so that the tahini paste is thinned out and runny. In the third bowl pour in your panko bread crumbs. (You should set these bowls in order.) Dip the cool wet green beans into the flour and then into the tahini paste and finally into the bread crumbs. Then set them on a greased baking sheet. Repeat this until you have covered all of your green beans. Place them into an oven at 475 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until they have browned.

Wasabi Dipping Sauce ingredients and directions:

1 15 oz can of white beans drained and rinsed
2 tbs water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs tahini paste
1/2 lemon freshly squeezed
1/3 cup vegonnaise or mayonnaise substitute
3-4 tsp of wasabi powder (to taste)

Combine all ingredients into a blender or food processor except the wasabi powder. Blend together very well. Slowly add in wasabi powder, tasting as you go to see if you like it spicier or not. Then pour into a bowl and plate your green beans and it is ready to serve.

Yields 35-40 green bean fries