Lemon-Garlic Sauce for Green Beans

A perfect summer dinner! Green beans this way are great on their own, or would be excellent with fish.

Lemon-Garlic Sauce for Green Beans

1 lb green beans

1 lemon, juice and zest (Note: this makes a VERY, VERY tart sauce. If you're not up for that, use only half the juice and add a couple spoonfuls of water.)
1/4 cup almonds
6 saltines or club crackers, or one slice stale bread
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tsp plus 1 tbsp olive oil

Start the water boiling for your green beans. Meanwhile wash them and pick them over. While they're boiling (this should only take a few minutes), fry the garlic in 2 tsp olive oil over medium-low heat until it begins to color, about a minute; turn and cook another minute or so. Turn off the heat.

Combine almonds and crackers/bread in your mini-chopper or food processor and pulse until they are reduced to crumbs. Add lemon juice (and water if using), lemon zest, garlic, the oil the garlic cooked in, and remaining 1 tbsp oil. Pulse until combined -- should be quite thick; should still have some texture.

Arrange green beans on a platter. Spread sauce over them decoratively -- each bean should have some sauce on it, but only a little.

Serves 4 with a meal or 2 if you really like green beans or are not eating much else.