Green Bean Salad

My brain is thinking ahead to Thanksgiving next week and when I came across this picture in my file I (a) remembered that I never posted this easy salad that I made back when we were getting tons of beans and tomatoes from the garden, and (b) this would be a nice addition to the Thanksgiving dinner line-up if you want a change up from the traditional green bean casserole. It's a simple, fresh, crunchy, delicious side dish perfect for a potluck or dish to pass (in addition to being perfect to eat at home!), it comes together quickly, can be made ahead of time, and is great either chilled or at room temperature. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed, leave whole or cut into smaller pieces 
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 T. lemon juice
• 3 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 6-8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 t. salt, cook green beans until tender, 5-10 minutes. While they cook prepare a large bowl with an ice water bath (that means fill the bowl with water and ice cubes). Once the beans are crisp-tender drain them into a colander to drain then quickly put them in the ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking (don't want mushy beans!). 

2. Drain the beans and pat dry. Toss them in a bowl with the tomatoes.

3. For the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the green beans and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and chill for at least an hour or up to 3 hours before ready to serve. 

4. Stir in the feta and bacon right before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature. 

*note: the bacon gets a little soggy after it sits in the beans overnight (but still tastes good), if you're making ahead of time I'd wait to add the bacon until closer to serving time. 

recipe found on melskitchencafe.com


11.15.18: pinecone birds
11.15.17: Brooke's nutella mug cake
11.15.16: deviled egg short-cut (I do this all the time!)
11.15.15: Thanksmas