Green beans are a versatile vegetable. You can use them in many different ways. For those of you who have only had mushy green beans that have been boiled to death, I feel sorry for you. But I’m here to tell you, there’s something else. (That’s my small, brief homage to Prince.)

I had purchased a bag of green beans for a diet that I was going on and found myself with lots of leftover beans. I had just roasted a batch the week before, and as much as I love roasted green beans, I wanted to do something different. I also had these beautiful pink grapefruits in the refrigerator, so I came up with this recipe.

It’s a little different but simple enough to make easily and quickly. There are very few ingredients and very few steps involved, yet the taste is fresh and flavorful, but not overpowering. See what you think.

Enjoy!

Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Grapefruit Butter

Makes 6 servings.

2 pounds green beans
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup chopped hazelnuts

Trim the ends of the green beans and rinse them.Heat/melt the coconut oil in a wide skillet. Add the beans and ¼ teaspoon of the salt.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. If the pan starts to get too brown on the bottom, add a tablespoon or two of water.Add the butter and grapefruit juice and stir. Scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining salt and black pepper.Let the butter melt, then stir and continue cooking a few more minutes until beans are tender but still firm. Stir in the hazelnuts and cook another couple of minutes. Serve.