Crispy Green Beans with Horseradish-Wasabi Dip

Have you ever been to TGI Friday's and ordered their crispy green bean fries? Yum. Add their incredible cucumber-wasabi ranch dip...to DIE for! Seriously. Amazing. This is about as close to the real thing as I can find, so now I just need to try it and make sure it's as good as I remember. Trust me, if you're in the mood for a great appetizer and you want to make yourself think you're eating healthy, try this. It's green beans...how bad could it be?

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup buttermilk ranch dressing
1/4 cup peeled, seeded, and finely chopped cucumber
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper

4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry bread crumbs
3/4 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
Make the dip by combining the buttermilk ranch dressing, cucumber, milk, horseradish, wasabi, salt, and cayenne pepper into a blender. Blend on low until well mixed. Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate. The dip will thicken as it chills.
Place the broth in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the beans, cover, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until beans are bright green and tender, about 8 minutes. Immediately drain beans into a colander and rinse under cold water. Set aside to cool.
Combine the beaten egg with milk in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in another shallow bowl. In a third shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Working with a handful of beans at a time, dip each bean first into flour, then into the egg mixture, and then into the bread crumb mixture. Place beans on a plate until all are coated.
Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a deep skillet (or use a deep fat fryer) over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry the beans several at a time, without crowding, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and cool. Serve with horseradish-wasabi dip.