Green Bean Salad

Crispy green beans in a honey mustard vinaigrette with sliced almonds.  A simple and quick vegetable side for any meal.

 

Repost of original from 3/25/13 190 views.  Added tweet-ables, pinnable image, follow my pinterest board, and minor editing.

This is one of my favorite ways to eat green beans.  I don't care for canned green beans that end up mushy and have no texture.  I first had this salad at my sister-in-laws' and I fell in love.  The green beans are only slightly blanched (steaming works too) so they are cooked yet still crisp.  Then tossed in a honey mustard vinaigrette with sliced almonds for more crunch.  You can top this salad with crispy fried onions or shallots for more crunch and more flavor, but it is fine without.

Say no to mushy green beans. #GreenBean #Salad  [Tweet this]

I love this recipe as a Thanksgiving side dish.  It's a great, lighter way to enjoy green beans instead of the usual green bean casserole. It's also great because you can make it the day before and store in the fridge until dinner time. This frees up time and cooking space on Thanksgiving day.

Save time with this #ThanksgivingSide: #GreenBean Salad  [Tweet this]

Green Bean Salad

Cook time:  under 10 minutes
Servings:  3-4

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans, snapped
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 hand full sliced almonds
Crispy fried onions or shallots (optional)

Blanch the green beans.  Toss the beans in a large pot of salted, boiling water and stir for 1-3 minutes.  Remove the beans and immediately place in ice water (sometimes I just rinse under cold running water) to stop the cooking.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette.  Mix the mustard, honey, vinegar, and olive oil in a glass jar with a lid.  Shake to combine.

Pour the vinaigrette over the beans and toss until coated (use as much or little as you like).  Add the almonds and mix.  Top with fried shallots or onions if desired.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Makes 3-4 servings.  Serve cold or at room temperature (I served this with my Pineapple Pork Chops it also makes a great #Thanksgivingside).

Enjoy.

For more vegetable sides check out:

Spicy Edamame     -

Baked Potato Salad   -

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

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Hoisin Baked Tofu Vermicelli

A vegetarian rice noodle salad with vegetables, herbs, and sweet and salty baked tofu.

Tofu is a simple and inexpensive meat alternative.  For most cooking, my favorite is Aloha Tofu firm tofu (it's local).  Firm tofu holds its shape through many types of cooking and it absorbs sauce and marinade flavors well.  Baking tofu is a simple preparation that dries it out slightly giving it a chewy more meaty texture (texture is very important to me...I don't want it to be mushy and this way it's not).  It is a great way to replace meat and still be satisfied.

Hoisin Baked Tofu is simple & inexpensive meat alternative  [Tweet this]

I just mixed up a simple sauce of equal parts hoisin and soy sauces.  The two sauces give the tofu a dark color and a sweet, salty, and bold flavor.  It has an almost meaty flavor with less than half the calories of most meats.

Great taste w/ #halfthecalories of chicken  [Tweet this]

Hoisin Baked Tofu

Prep time: about 45 min (30 are inactive)
Cook time:  30 min
Servings:  6

Ingredients:

20 ounces firm tofu (I use Aloha brand)
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce

Remove the tofu from the pack and drain the water.  (If needed)Cut it in half crosswise so you have 2 pieces of about 1 inch thick (approximate 4x4 inch squares).

Place the halves side by side on an absorbent towel (or a couple layers of paper towel) lined sheet pan.  Cover the tofu with another towel and pan or plate and place a little weight on top (a cast iron skillet works well, or a jug of juice).

Allow the tofu to press (this squeezes out excess moisture) for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F

Then cut the tofu squares in half and then into 1x2 inch slices that are about 1/4 inch thick (none of this is exact I just guestimate).  If this doesn't make sense to you, just cut it whatever way you like I find that 1/4 inch thick pieces work best.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Mix the hoisin and soy sauces together until well combined and brush/spread on both sides of the tofu slices.

Lay the tofu slices out side by side on the baking sheet.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes then flip each slice over and bake for 10-15 minutes longer.

Makes about 6 servings.

Serve immediately or leftovers are great cold (great addition to spring rolls)

Ingredients continued:

Bean Sprouts
Lettuce
Mint
Thai basil
Cilantro
Vermicelli rice noodles, cooked
Carrots, julienned or shredded
Green onion
Jalapenos, sliced
Hoisin Baked Tofu
Nuoc Cham

Place all the vegetables, herbs, noodles, and chicken in a big salad bowl (use as much of each as you like).  Then pour the nuoc cham over everything (I usually use a few tablespoons but use as much as you like).

Enjoy.

Other recipes mentioned in this post:

Spring Rolls

Nuoc Cham

For more vermicelli recipes check out:

Lemongrass Chicken Vermicelli

Char Siu (BBQ Pork) Vermicelli

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Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad with Smoked Salmon & Feta

A light and fresh salad with cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in a lemon dill vinaigrette then topped with smoked salmon and feta.

Lemon and dill pair well with salmon.   I often cook salmon with lemon and dill so I decided to put together a salad that would combine these flavors with smoked salmon.  I love the different textures of crisp cucumbers and juicy tomatoes in a Tomato and Cumber Salad and dill pairs well with cucumbers too.  So I thought this salad would be a perfect way to compliment the flavors I associate with salmon.  It turned out great. This salad is light and fresh with bright flavor and a perfect saltiness.  It's great as a side salad or light lunch, but you don't have to add smoked salmon if you don't have any.  It is great on its own or even served alongside grilled salmon for a Labor Day cookout.

Cucumber Tomato Dill Salad is great for a Labor Day cookout  [Tweet this]  

Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad

Prep time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  4-6

Ingredients:

1 pound grape tomatoes halved
2 cucumbers seeded peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp minced red onions
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dry dill
Salt & pepper to taste
Smoked salmon
Feta

Toss together the tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions until well mixed.

Then, mix the lemon juice, oil, and dill and pour over the vegetables.  Add just a little salt and pepper to your taste.  Toss well to combine and let set in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve cold or at room temperature with smoked salmon and feta.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy.

For more fresh light salads check out:

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

Greek Salad              -

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

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Tomato and Cucumber Salad

A light and fresh salad of crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, and crunchy pistachios tossed in a sweet creamy lemon dressing.

This is a delicious, fresh, light, and simple salad.  I had seen many variations of this salad on all sorts of blogs and had to try my own version.  It's great with just the tomatoes and cucumbers, but I wanted it to be a bit more filling so added pistachios (I also love the crunchy texture they add).  A simple lemon juice dressing was the obvious choice for this salad and since I added pistachios I also decided to add a little honey.  I love honey with pistachios.  I also had a little Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin cheese left from something else I made so I added that to the mix too.  It made a delicious combination. I had this salad to accompany a snack platter for a light dinner and leftover salad made a great lunch.

This is a delicious, fresh, light, and simple salad. [Tweet this]

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
1 lemon, juice of
1 cup roasted pistachios
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Boursin cheese (optional)
Salt to taste

First mix together the dressing.  Juice one lemon and to the juice add honey and Boursin.  Mix thoroughly.  Or you could use Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing.

Toss together the tomatoes, cucumbers, and pistachios.  Then toss everything in the dressing.  Add a little salt to taste and let sit for up to 1 hour for the flavors to meld. It can also be refrigerated for a day or two.  Beware though, after too long the pistachios lose their crunchiness (but I still enjoy the texture of them they just become kind of chewy).

Makes about 4 servings.

Enjoy.

Check out Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing, mentioned above, in:

Lamb Salad

For more light and fresh salads check out:

Greek Salad

Tropical Fruit Salad

Pigeon Pea Salad

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Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

A 3 ingredient salad of carrots, cucumbers and lemon juice.  So simple yet so tasty.

I was looking for salad ideas to accompany my Spiced Lamb and Hummus.  Since I wanted to keep to the same Mediterranean theme I searched for ideas in a Greek cookbook that I have.  I knew I could make the usual Greek Salad but I wanted something different and simpler.  When I came across this salad I knew instantly that I had my salad.  What could be easier than only 3 ingredients (I guess only 1 or two, but...)?  I love carrot not to mention they add terrific color to any meal.  I was a little skeptical because the carrots are just tossed in lemon juice and I thought it would be too sour but the sweetness of the carrots blends with the tartness of the lemon juice to make one amazing flavor.  The cucumbers may seem like a random addition but they also taste great with lemon juice and add a different type of crispness to the salad.  I actually used the cucumbers to scoop up hummus and lamb.  Now my new favorite way to eat hummus is on a cucumber.

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

2 carrots, coarsely shredded
1 cucumber, sliced
1 lemon, juiced
salt to taste

I used my food processor to shred the carrots and I shredded them long ways to have longer strips of carrot (this adds to the texture of the salad).

Place shredded carrots, cucumber slices, and lemon juice in a large bowl and toss to combine.  Add some salt if desired (I think I forgot to add salt and it was still delicious).

Cover salad and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Makes 4-6 servings

Enjoy.

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Asian Slaw

An Asian themed slaw made with cabbage, daikon, and carrot mixed with an Asian-style vinaigrette.  A great accompaniment to an Asian Pork Burger or any burger.  

I love slaws (I notice I say this about a lot of foods but it's true).  They are a great way to eat your vegetables and those vegetables are raw.  I like to add raw vegetables to my dinners when I can because they are said to retain more nutrients and be good for your digestion (I also like the crunchy crispness).  I think slaws are the perfect vegetable side/salad to serve with burgers and sandwiches.  When I made Asian Pork Burgers it was natural to make an Asian Slaw to go with them.

Ingredients:

1/2 head of Napa cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, julienned

1 small daikon, julienned

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/3 cup lime juice

1/2-1 cup sliced green onions

(you could also add some sesame seeds too)

Wash and shred or julienne the vegetables (when I say a small daikon, this was one that was about the size of a carrot.  I don't know about all daikons, but the usual ones I find here are more the size of a tree branch so it took me a while to find one small enough for my purpose).  Toss and mix the vegetables in a large bowl.

Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients and pour over the vegetables.  Stir together with a large spoon, or I like to use a seal-able container and shake it, until vegetables are thoroughly coated and mixed.

Cover, or seal, bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving (over night is even better).  As the slaw sits, the flavors meld and it tastes even better.

Makes about 6-8 servings.  I prefer to serve it cold, but room temperature is ok too.  Enjoy.

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