Fried Green Beans with Strawberry Dipping Sauce

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These crispy bites have been popping up in restaurants over the past couple of years. We had always shrugged them off, but since they are our sister-in-law’s favorite, we decided to give them a try. After just one bite, we fell in love with these deep fried green beans; talk about delicious! And the dipping sauce totally hits this crowd-pleasing appetizer out of the ball park.

Now our question is,  are they still considered a vegetable? And if so, that means the calories don’t count?

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp fresh strawberry jam 
• 2 tbsp sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 1 pound green beans – stems trimmed
• 16 oz vegetable oil
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup of cornmeal – course ground
• 1 tbsp season salt – choose your favorite
• 1 cup water
• 1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Pour oil into a large pot with high sides. Place over medium heat and allow the oil to reach a temp of 350. To know that the oil is ready, place the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If it starts to bubble around the spoon, then the oil is at temperature. ** You can also use a fry daddy**

Combine the sour cream and fresh strawberry jam with a pinch of salt. Transfer to a serving dish and chill to allow the flavors to combine.

Place your green beans into a small bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds. This will give your green beans a start on the cooking process, but still leave a crispness to them after they are fried.

Combine 1 cup water, flour, cornmeal, season salt and eggs in a bowl to form a batter. Dip the beans in the batter, a dozen at a time, and place them into the oil. Flip about 2 minutes to brown each side. Remember to fry them up in batches so you don’t crowd the pan and bring down the temperature of the oil. Cool on a cooling rack. Sprinkle with salt while hot so the salt with stick.

Serve the fried beans with the strawberry dipping sauce.