Green beans....again???

I really love vegetables. A lot. There are very few I can think of that I don't love. In fact, one time, at a get-together of family friends my mom said to me (in a very matter-of-fact, stern and embarrassing way), "Sara, back away from the food," as I hovered over the veggie tray. True story. In my defense, at least it was veggies and not nachos, meatballs, or any other food item that may make me seem like more of an oinker than I already am. Moral of that story is - I love vegetables.

But for some reason, when it comes to dinner time, it seems like we always have the same old things! Green beans, asparagus, zucchini, and occasionally a salad. I absolutely adore the way I typically make green beans (blanch green beans, drain from water, throw into saute pan with olive oil, garlic, and sometimes a guest appearance by shallots) - the trick is taking the green beans from the boiling water once they change color to that really vibrant green. I need my veggies tender with a tiny bit of crunch still in them. But despite how well these turn out each time, a girl needs some variety in her life. And so I concocted a new method for preparing my beloved green beans.

Sara's Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

Fresh green beans (enough for however many you're serving...I eat tons of them so I probably get close to a half pound just for 2 of us!)
Half pint of grape, cherry or Campari tomatoes
1/3 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
~1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation:

First snap the ends off of your green beans. They really should be fresh. I suppose you could use frozen, if you had to, but they get watery and just don't have the same texture or flavor. While I acknowledge that fresh produce can sometimes be more expensive than frozen, green beans don't typically have a high price per pound and are very affordable. Also worth noting: if you even considered using canned green beans for this recipe - we can't be friends. I don't do canned green beans. Ick.

Toss the beans into a pot of salted boiling water. They should take only a few minutes to cook. Once they turn a really bright green, I usually snatch one from the water (carefully - it's boiling!) and take a nibble off the end to check for doneness.

While the water is boiling or green beans are cooking, prep the other veggies. If you're using grape or cherry tomatoes, halving them is sufficient. Because we had Campari tomatoes, I cut mine into quarters or sixths, depending on their size. Mmmm Campari tomatoes (drool)


You should also slice your onions at this time. For the record, I almost always buy sweet onions, unless a recipe specifically calls for red onion. When Vidalia onions are in season I go for those, but my supermarket carries just plain "sweet" onions from Peru year round. I like their flavor both raw and cooked and truth be told, they don't make my eyes water when I cut them! Win-win situation!

To make the "dressing" for this salad, you'll combine the dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Start with a good squirt of mustard in the bottom of a bowl. Another confession: I am horrible at measuring (probably why I'm horrible at baking) - I eyeball everything...but I'd say about a tablespoon of mustard. Err on the low side to start because you can always add more. As you make this vinaigrette more and more, you'll get a sense of the proportions you like. Then add a few shakes of balsamic vinegar.


It is important that you save the oil for last so that the dressing mixes properly.


You will want to whisk the ingredients in one hand while you drizzle the oil with the other. This happens to be a difficult process to capture on camera for those of us who don't have three hands.


Your dressing will end up looking like this.


Once the vinaigrette is made and the green beans are through cooking and have been removed from the water, toss the veggies in there and refrigerate it for a few minutes. It doesn't have to be served cold, but I like it better when the beans aren't steaming hot!


Now no more excuses for boring green beans!