Tasty Green Bean Salad Recipe with Miso Dressing

“What garlic is to salad, insanity is to art.”
~ Augustus Saint-Gaudens

I love salads any time of year – as a main event, or as a side for anything from soup to roasts. I made this one to go with a roast lamb dinner. The crunchy beans paired with the salt of the cheese, the sweetness of the tomatoes, capsicum and onions, and the zesty citrus dressing are a delectable combination!

We ate this salad again yesterday for lunch, with some of the cold meat tossed through it.

Did I mention I am a huge fan of left-overs?

These salad ingredients nurture your lower chakras, boost your immune system, stimulate your heart chakra, and aid digestion. The walnuts and sesame oil are good for brain function too. Did I also mention yum? 🙂

Ingredients to serve four:

Four big handfuls of fresh green beans, one cup of halved cherry or baby roma tomatoes, one small red capsicum (bell pepper) seeded and chopped, one red salad onion halved and cut into thin slices – separate out, one small block of *fetta cheese – cubed, half to one cup of walnut pieces.

These ingredients came easily be halved or doubled, depending on the size of your crowd. Don’t be afraid to make too much of this salad. It’s delicious and keeps well for lunches or as a side for another meal.

*Vegans – use your favourite cheese substitute or replace with tofu!

Method:

Wash, top and tail beans. Slice up onions, capsicum and tomatoes. Cube your cheese.

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and drop in the beans. Cook for two to three minutes, so that they are blanched but not completely cooked. Hint – test one by carefully removing from water with tongs or a fork. When you bite down the bean will have softened slightly but still be crunchy.

Drain beans and run some cold water over them to halt the cooking process. Drain well.

Place beans into a serving bowl and later other ingredients over the top. Pour dressing over finished salad and let it sit for five minutes to absorb flavours.

Dressing:

Juice of half an orange, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root, 1 heaped teaspoon of your favourite miso paste, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, tiny pinch of salt.

Shake all ingredients together in a lidded jar until well combined. Pour over salad.

This salad makes a good light meal, but is also the perfect accompaniment to roasts, barbeques and bakes.

Will store well, refrigerated for three to four days.