Roasted Rainbow Beans

The tomato torrent is finally winding down and we even have a frost watch set for tomorrow night. I must say I am somewhat relieved, as garden fertility has kept me hopping on the preservation scene almost every night. I am getting heartily sick of cooking down tomatoes and the kids are certainly sick of their pervasive perfume, although Dan and I are proud that this is the first year we've filled up the freezer and stocked all the kitchen shelves with dehydrated and canned garden veggies. None too soon by the looks of the stock market.

Here's a delicious roasted vegetable casserole I made with the last of the yellow wax beans (the fifth picking off those stalwarts!), red tomatoes, and those dazzling purple yard-long Chinese beans. Unlike other purple string beans I've grown, these legumes held onto their purple color and didn't revert to green beans, so that was a bonus. The beans are delightfully chewy in this recipe and soaked up lots of tomato juices. Here's how vibrant they looked going into the oven:





And out of the oven:


And the recipe:

Roasted Rainbow Beans

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. yellow wax beans, trimmed and cut in half

1 lb. purple yard-long beans or other purple string

8 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 sprigs basil, chopped

3 sprigs rosemary, snipped (or 1 tsp. dried rosemary)

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Toss all ingredients together in 9x13 glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 45-60 minutes, stirring at least twice during cooking to mingle juices. Remove foil for last 15 minutes to let veggies brown up.

Serves 6. Lovely over brown rice or noodles.

The Grow Your Own cooking event is being hosted during the latter part of September by Denise over at Chez Us, a delightful food blog about her adventures in cooking and her partner's eating of same. I am submitting this Rainbow Roasted Beans recipe to join in the fun, so look for a roundup of delicious homegrown recipes at Chez Us after September 30th. This twice-a-month food event was started by Andrea of Andrea's Recipes, to showcase what people are growing and eating all around the world. From Torch Ginger Plant to Hot Peppers to homegrown Papayas, it's fascinating to see what is in season in different countries.