March can be a challenging time of the year. Spring is technically here, but when you go to the market, there is still a paucity of locally grown fresh vegetables, especially in places that might still have snow on the ground! Enter clever salads featuring a handful of readily available vegetables, super flavorful, creative dressings, and a little crunch in the way of roasted seeds. Consider your salad needs covered for the foreseeable!
As is often the case, you can tweak this recipe. You can opt for other vegetables - try to keep it to three kinds with a variety of textures, flavors, and colors. The dressing gets a lot of flavor from minced olives and garlic, so if you opt not to use them, find other flavor boosting ingredients to use. Minced ginger, diced hot peppers or sun dried tomatoes, anchovy paste, or tahini sauce are all excellent options. I like the crunch of pepitas, but sunflower seeds or thinly sliced almonds will also do a good job in this salad.
This is a great salad to pair with any entree that doesn't pack the veggie punch you might want on your dinner plate. Whether it's alongside a salad or a slice of lasagna or a great steak, this colorful, tasty, and downright nutritious salad will have you celebrating Spring even when your local offerings haven't quite caught up with the season. Enjoy!
Green Bean & Tomato Salad
- 1 lb. French green beans - trimmed & cut into bite-sized pieces
- 8 oz. grape tomatoes - halved
- ¼ red onion - peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1-2 cloves garlic - minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper - to taste
- ¼ cup roasted and salted pepitas
Lightly steam the green beans on the stove or in the microwave until crisp-tender, plunging them into ice water immediately after cooking to stop the process. Drain well.
While the beans are draining, place the halved tomatoes and thinly sliced red onions in a large serving bowl. Add the green beans and set aside.
Combine the next seven ingredients (minced kalamata olives through salt & pepper) in a resealable glass jar. Add the lid and shake vigorously to combine. Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables in the serving bowl and toss well to coat.
Sprinkle with the pepitas before serving.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes