Green Bean Salad - My Farmer's Market Inspired Salad I

Its summer time and my Farmer's Market is overflowing with fresh produce at dirt cheap price. Last Sunday Green Beans were at all time low of 79 cents per pound... Can you believe it! The lowest I had seen last was 99 cents per pound. And it was restricted to 6 pounds per family. I don't know whether lightning struck me or someone possessed my soul, but I found myself returning home with 6 pounds of fresh green beans along with 2 head of cauliflower, 5 English cucumbers, 1 piece each of yellow, red, orange and green bell peppers, 2 pounds of tomatoes on the vine, which were also on sale! Not to mention the usual Aloo (Potatoes), Piyaj (Onions), Aada (Ginger), Roshun (Garlic) and Kancha Lonka (Green Chilies).

Now what do you do when you have 6 pounds of green beans. You wash them and dry them and then freeze them for later use. Well, that realization came a wee bit late. I have already used them up in one week! Yes! I did that. I added it in huge portions to my Oatmeal Upma, which I religiously eat at least four times a week. I added it to the mixed vegetable curry for Sam's Lunch box. I made Bong Mom's Green Bean Bhorta and totally loved it. Its a must try for all the Bongs out there. And then I made this refreshing salad with green beans and red onions and absolutely loved it.


Trim a half pound of green bean and wash well. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and season it liberally with salt and and add the green beans. Blanche the beans for 2-3 minutes till the beans are cooked but still crunchy. Then immediately soak them in ice cold water for 4-5 minutes. Drain and arranger in the serving plate.


Add slices of half a red onion and strips of tomatoes.


Make the vinaigrette by adding 1 tbsp of EVOO to 1 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar. Add ½ tsp of lemon juice, salt and pepper and whisk it well.


Pour the vinaigrette on the green beans and toss well.


Add a tablespoon of chopped mint leaves to finish it off.


Done. The perfect summer salad to enjoy with my pan seared Tilapia and oven roasted cauliflower.





Recipe Snapshot:


What I used:
Green Beans - ½ lb
Red Onion or Shallot - ½ of a medium sized onion and 1 is using shallot
Tomatoes - 1, seeded and cut into strips

For the Vinaigrette
Balsamic Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice - ½ tsp
Sea salt
Freshly Cracked Pepper

Garnish
Mint leaves

What I did:
1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and season it liberally with salt and and add the green beans. Blanche the beans for 2-3 minutes till the beans are cooked but still crunchy. Then immediately soak them in ice cold water for 4-5 minutes. Drain and arranger in the serving plate.
2. Add slices of red onions and strips of tomatoes.
3. Make the vinaigrette by adding EVOO, Balsamic Vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and whisk it well.
4. Pour the vinaigrette on the green beans and toss well.
5. Add a tablespoon of chopped mint leaves to finish it off.

Tip: You can a teaspoon of sugar or honey to the vinaigrette, if you do not like your dressing to be to tangy.


Diabetic Platter: Green Beans are packed with nutrients. It is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Manganese.

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