Sauteed Green Beans and Carrots

I don't usually get excited about side dishes, probably why there are far too few on this blog. This was so tasty, healthy, and easy, that I can get excited about this side.

I put it over quinoa and served it as a main dish, so... I guess that means it wasn't a side dish after all, hmmm.

Here is the cooked quinoa, botanically it is a seed, but most people think it is a grain and use it as such. It has an earthy flavor and makes a good base to stir fry instead of rice, it also has a good amount of protein for something so small. This is red quinoa, follow package directions, it is really, really easy, you just simmer it for 15 minutes or so.

 Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 pound green beans, ends snapped off and washed
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 -1 pound carrots, peeled, and cut into sticks
2 sun dried tomatoes, minced
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
Place carrots in saucepan, cover with water, simmer until tender but still very crisp.
Place green beans in same or steam them until tender but still very crisp. If you cook them together the beans will get mushy before the carrots.
In a large skillet, saute the onion in the olive oil, then stir in the tomato.

 This is a sun dried tomato, actually it is two.

Drain the green beans and the carrots, add to the skillet.

Toss in the hot pan until coated in the oil and the flavors are mingled. Salt and pepper to taste.

They are great next to any meat dish or ...

This is my cooked quinoa.

 Then I place the veggies over the quinoa. Yum.

The sun dried tomato and onion added so much flavor to the beans and carrots. Don't overcook them or you will have mush, you want some crisp and good color.
Pretty and tasty, how can you go wrong?