Brrr…it’s a bit chilly out this morning. It does certainly feel like a fall morning. I know Labor Day happened and all but I’m not quite ready to let go of summer yet. Plus, my calendar says Autumn doesn’t begin until later this month. If you feel the same way, this recipe is for you! I know there are still fresh green beans and cherry tomatoes out there!!
Green Bean Salad
from The Food Network
Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 pound slender green beans, ends trimmed
1 cup feta cheese crumbles
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 large clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
What To Do
Boil a large pot of salted water. Add the green beans and cook until tender crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a spider to remove to a bowl of ice water. Drain well, pat dry and place the beans in a large bowl. Combine with the feta cheese, tomatoes and red onions.
Toast the almonds in a small skillet, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, garlic and some salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the green beans and sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
My Comments
Well, so…Matt and I really really like this salad but we altered it just a bit…first, we cooked our green beans (in unsalted water) all the way because neither of us like crunchy green beans. So that means, no ice bath needed.
Clearly, from the picture, you can see we did not slice our cherry tomatoes in half and really, at this stage of the garden game, mine are smaller now anyway – there’s really no point in halving them.
We skipped the almonds.
And we used dried basil instead of fresh because my basil never really took off this year. It reached maybe 5 inches tall with a few leaves and that’s it.
And…the first time we did not let it marinate for an hour because we didn’t have time. The second time we did. Either way, it tastes great!
Did you ever see the movie, UP? They say “adventure is out there!” and I feel like saying “summer is out there!” because really, it is and we can still eat delicious fresh green beans and cherry tomatoes in wonderful salad form…even if we need to wear a sweater while doing so.
Enjoy your day!