Beans, Biking and Bins

The three Bs that have me thinking this week.

Beans
This week for Meatless Monday, I am sharing a new twist on a simple side dish.   Who doesn’t love some green beans?  We may be a couple months from getting these at the farmer’s market, but here is a recipe to keep for the spring.

Green Beans with Ginger Butter (Gourmet Magazine)

• 2 lb green beans, trimmed
• 1 (3-inch-long) piece fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (use earth balance to veganize)
• Finely grated zest from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cook beans in an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until just tender, 5 to 9 minutes (depending on thickness). Drain beans in a colander and transfer to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain beans again and pat dry.

Peel ginger and halve crosswise, then thinly slice lengthwise and cut into very thin matchsticks.

Heat butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook ginger, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes.

Add beans and cook, stirring, until just heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add zest and salt, tossing to combine.

Biking
After a few weeks off for traveling I was able to attend another great community bike ride this past Sunday.  Every Sunday bikers of all abilities peddle at an easy pace around Winston Salem to reconnect with our community and each other.  The Winston Salem Community Bike ride is great for families and anyone else looking to bike with other people and learn about new areas of Winston Salem.  We start at 3pm every Sunday from Caffe Prada at 4^th and Broad streets.  Check out the Winston Salem Community Bike Ride webpage at www.bikews.com/ .

If you are interested in creating a bike friendly community join Forsyth Greenway Connection and WS Greenways for a meeting on the Power of Advocacy on Tuesday, February 28, at 6:30 pm, at the Southside Library, 3185 Buchanan Street.  The Charlotte area greenway system is quickly becoming one of the best in the country, with more than 180 miles of paved or undeveloped greenways. Citizen involvement has been a large part of that success. Learn more when Martin Zimmerman, executive director of the Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance, speaks.  I wish I could attend, but I teach on Tuesday nights so I can only hope lots of folks attend and keep the fire burning.  Go to www.wsgreenways.org/index.php/events for more information.

Bins
Who else feels the excitement from having your new large blue WS recycles bin dropped off at your house?  Maybe I'm the only green nerd around, but I doubt that.  The only problem is that we have to wait until April to start rolling them out to the curb.   Did you get yours?  Are you still waiting? Don't know what I'm talking about or want more information? Click here.

I noticed couple things on the list of “Do recycle” that are either new or I didn’t know about before.  I love that cardboard juice and milk containers are now recyclable as well as those aerosol cans of cooking spray. All your #5 plastics will still need to be kept separate, but thanks to Whole Foods’ “Gimme 5” program for picking up the slack on this one.

What do you do with your old bins come April 2nd?  That is what I'd like to know.  If they are ours to keep, what ideas can you think of for reusing them?  I want to hear your thoughts!