This year we planted green, purple, and yellow beans in our garden and they are currently growing like crazy. This is a good thing, as I needed a simple dish to share at a dinner with friends this past weekend. And given it was crazy-hot (mid-80s with a dash of humidity, which is quite warm up here in the Northwoods), I wanted to make something that would require little to no stove time. Steaming beans for less than 5 minutes on the stovetop easily fit those requirements.
I had found this recipe earlier in the day while perusing a recent issue of Eating Well on my Kindle. I am totally that person who reads a magazine on one device, and has a second device handy to search for and pin recipes from the online version of the article that I'm reading. Perhaps an unwieldy process, but I love the ability to quickly save recipes that I want to try before I turn (or swipe) the page and forget about them.
My bean salad is a little simpler than the Composed Bean Salad in the magazine; I used three beans rather than five and opted to skip the radishes and tomatoes (mainly because I didn't have any on hand), but I think it still makes for a stunning presentation and the vinaigrette is bright, tangy, and full of fresh-basil flavor (and also received quite a few compliments come dinnertime).
To add a just a bit more flavor and visual interest, I dusted the cannellini and kidney beans with a pinch of herbes de Provence and a little salt and pepper. A garnish of chopped fresh herbs wouldn't be a bad idea, either.
Since I made such a large portion, I've been enjoying leftovers this week for lunch. The beans make for a tasty, filling, and super-simple lunch when topped with a lightly salt-and-peppered poached egg.
Deconstructed Three-Bean Salad (printer-friendly version)
makes 8-10 servings
For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped scallions (about 3 medium scallions, ends removed)
1/4 cup chopped garlic scapes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons agave syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
For the three-bean salad:
2 cups green beans (about 8 ounces), trimmed
1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
herbes de Provence, for garnish
1. Add the green beans to a steamer basket and steam for 4 minutes, until just tender. Remove from the steamer and let cool.
2. While the green beans are cooling, make the vinaigrette. Add the basil, chopped scallions, chopped garlic scapes, olive oil, red-wine vinegar, agave syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to a blender. Puree until smooth. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Pour into a small serving container.
3. Place the cooled green beans onto a serving platter. Arrange the kidney beans and cannellini beans around the green beans. Sprinkle the kidney beans and cannellini beans with herbes de Provence and salt and pepper. Serve with the dressing.
(adapted from this Eating Well recipe)
makes 8-10 servings
For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped scallions (about 3 medium scallions, ends removed)
1/4 cup chopped garlic scapes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons agave syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
For the three-bean salad:
2 cups green beans (about 8 ounces), trimmed
1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
herbes de Provence, for garnish
1. Add the green beans to a steamer basket and steam for 4 minutes, until just tender. Remove from the steamer and let cool.
2. While the green beans are cooling, make the vinaigrette. Add the basil, chopped scallions, chopped garlic scapes, olive oil, red-wine vinegar, agave syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to a blender. Puree until smooth. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Pour into a small serving container.
3. Place the cooled green beans onto a serving platter. Arrange the kidney beans and cannellini beans around the green beans. Sprinkle the kidney beans and cannellini beans with herbes de Provence and salt and pepper. Serve with the dressing.
(adapted from this Eating Well recipe)
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