June 30, 2011
I don’t know about you, but I am up to my eyeballs in green beans! For this year’s 4th of July, I will be using my abundance of these crispy veggies in a bit of a non-traditional way. This crunchy cousin to caprese has a refreshing feel that makes it the perfect classic-with-a-twist dish to bring to a summer holiday potluck. Enjoy!
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Salad
8 ounces raw green beans — diced in 1 centimeter coins
1 cup cherry tomatoes–diced
1 cup whole milk mozzarella–diced
6 basil leaves–chiffonaded
1 clove garlic–minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 Healthy pinch salt
Make the dressing first, and reserve. Store the extra (you should have extra) in a sealed glass container to use for other salads. When I use lemon in a dressing, I don’t like to keep it for more than a day, but the vinegar in this dressing lasts a few days without changing too much. It’s just as a delicious on a green salad as it is on this green bean recipe. If it solidifies in the fridge, just run it under some tepid water.
Toss the salad ingredients together with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Let your mixture sit for 15 minutes, then toss again and serve. This is actually a great salad to do ahead of time (recently, I made it at noon and served it at 7). You can store it in the fridge and just bring to room temp before serving. If you do this, though, you will want to toss it again and check for seasoning. Have a fresh, delicious holiday!
