Green Bean Salad With Almonds

1/2 cup whole roasted almonds
2 Tbs tamari
1 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed
2 Tbs toasted sesame oil
3 Tbs rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped roughly (optional)

1) Place almonds in a small nonstick saute pan. Lightly toast over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon tamari and stir until the almonds are coated evenly, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate and cool. Chop almonds roughly.
2) Prepare a large bowl of ice water. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook beans until crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3) Drain the beans and transfer to the bowl of ice water. Remove green beans and drain well.
4) In a large bowl, combine the sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and remaining 1 tablespoon of tamari. Add the drained green beans and toss to coat. Garnish with roasted almonds and fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately, while warm.

Review: This dish was doomed. I counted on Costco still having the 2 lb bags of haricots verts, but they did not. So, I used frozen green beans. I also didn’t read the directions thoroughly (I’m notorious for this) and thought I could save a few steps, and save the purchase of tamari, by purchasing tamari almonds from the bulk section of the store. Alas, as I make the salad, I read that I need tamari for the dressing. Crud. I also wasn’t in the mood for this disaster, as I had my first sign language class tonight. I didn’t have time to eat between leaving work and heading to the class. So, at the end of class (8pm), I was starving and irritable. I decided to make a dash to Pita Pit for dinner instead of cooking. However, I found the place to be deserted except for one family who appeared to be ordering. Instead, they were thinking. Which they continued to do for 10 minutes, without ever offering to let me go first, since they didn’t know what they wanted. So, I gave up and headed home, in an irritable, hungry huff. So, I think I made this and ate it begrudgingly, since I’d had my heart set on fast food. Oh, well. This was better for me. And, it was yummy, despite the lack of tamari in the dressing. :) I did leave the cilantro out, though, since it just didn’t sound like it fit in the salad.