Green Beans Italian Style

Eat your vegetables
I have never liked vegetables - even more so when I was a kid. So I have had to invent ways to make them more palatable to my palate. Seems like I had green beans or peas growing up every night. And my parents never put anything on them that I can remember. I used to hide them under my plate or drop them on the floor, because my folks never let us leave the table until our plates were clean. Unfortunately, my dog hated them too and never would help me clean my plate. But when I became an adult, I discovered that others were doing wild things with vegetables. I came across a recipe about 10 years ago and started making variations on it until I found the perfect taste (at least to me). To tell you the truth, once you try these zesty green beans you will never go back to plane beans.
Ingredients (6 servings):

• 1 pound green beans with ends removed and halved
• 1/2 cup extra virgin oil
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 cup Good Season's Italian salad dressing - replace the water with red wine and the vinegar with balsamic vinegar (if children will be eating this then just use water instead of red wine)

Preparation
Steam the green beans until they are cooked (they are healthier if they are crunchy after cooking, but some people do not like them crunchy). Let the green beans cool and then cover and place in the refrigerator. Meanwhile mix all of the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Once the green beans are cold, pour the seasoning over them and serve.
Humbling experience
I hate to admit this but I will work hours on some fancy Italian recipe and serve it on a social occasion and after the dinner people will ask me for the green bean recipe. Go figure. But this is great with any of the other main dishes I have (e.g., try it with the ziti).