We all know the usual ‘vegetable’ salads for summer: potato, cabbage, tomato, and, of course, lettuce.
I remember going to the annual ‘family reunion picnic’ when there would be 20 or 30 families. Everyone (read All the Women) brought a dish or 2 to share. Some years there would be 10 potato salads and no baked beans. The next year there would be 12 pans of brownies and no potato salad.
There was no organization… all we ever knew was the date and place and that didn’t change: 2nd Sunday in July at the park.
Now there’s internet / texts and I’m sure the variety is perfect.
So – most vegetables work very well in salads, either raw or cooked. Surprise the family with something new.
Click here to Pin Bean & Basil Salad
PrintBean & Basil Salad
This is a simple salad and best if everything is just picked (or as close as possible).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
Ingredients
- 8oz (240gr) green beans, cut into 1″ lengths
- 1 small, fresh onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup loosely packed basil, purple and green
- 2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
- 2 tbs white Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbs good olive oil
- freshly ground salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring a medium saucepan half full of water to a boil over high heat.
- Add beans and blanch for 4 minutes, until just tender.
- Drain beans and immediately submerge in an equal amount of very cold water.
- Drain again, spread out on paper towels and pat dry.
- Put into a serving bowl.
- Add onion, tomatoes and basil.
- In small bowl whisk together the mustard, vinegar and oil.
- Stir into beans, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
This is a salad. Use green, yellow, or Roma (flat) beans, any color / size tomato, and regular or green onions.
It’s best made a few hours in advance.
Or try a Moroccan Spiced Carrot Salad
Are family reunions still a thing?
When I was a child there were at least 4 that we were expected to go to: my mother’s mother’s family, my mother’s father’s family…. and so on. These were somewhat sedate affairs, for a picnic. The ages ranged from newborn to 90’s and Kool-Aid was the beverage of choice.
When I was a bit older (young adult) our summer get-togethers changed. It was my mother, her siblings, and all the kids and the kids’ kids.
These were… raucous affairs as all the 2nd generation (mine) were old enough to drink. It was usually an all weekend event complete with tents, campers, bonfires and a wee bit of alcohol. The little kids were tucked into their sleeping bags and the rest of us partied.
No one cared if there were 15 potato salads….
I would be thrilled if there were 15 potato salads. J’adore potato salad!
Your bean and basil salad sounds delicious. I wouldn’t have thought of basil with green beans. Alas, we never see those beautiful flat green beans at our vegetable market. But there are really lovely narrow (haricots verts??) green and yellow beans right now. We have been steaming them and pairing them with a little butter and summer savoury. (Our summer savoury is in full flower right now; I’m having to apologize to the busy busy bees when I cut some.)
I let my oregano get way too out of control because I didn’t want to cut the flowers. Our bee population is shrinking – I try to help. And I put a rock in the bird bath so the bees have more places to stand. I could be turning into my mother….
Our bee population is shrinking too. So I’ve let our mint go crazy with flowering. And, of course, because summer savoury is essentialy a weed, there is no way that we could ever cut enough of it to bother the bees that I am apologizing to.
If we had a bird bath, I would put a rock in it!