Green Bean Salad with Citrus Dressing

A quick steam, then plunge into ice water to keep the beans at peak freshness and flavor before bathing them in a bright citrus dressing. This makes good leftovers, too.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
  • 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1-2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
  • 1 Tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped (optional)
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preparation:

  1. Steam or boil until just tender but still bright green (about 2-4 minutes).
  2. Blanch: Immediately plunge beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Remove after about 1-2 minutes.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper and garlic. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking. Add the cooled and drained beans to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Add the red onions and mix well. Taste for salt.
  4. Right before serving, toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring and tossing so as not to burn. Just until golden and fragrant.
  5. Serve salad and sprinkle each serving with 1 Tablespoon of almonds and fresh parsley.

Variations:

  • At the height of tomato season, diced fresh tomatoes are delicious in this salad.
  • Add hard boiled egg, black olives and good canned tuna and serve over lettuce for a satisfying Salad Niçoise.

Source: FoodShare’s Director of Culinary Medicine, Chef Christa D. González