Green Bean Salad

This green bean salad was totally enjoyed along with the more traditional Thanksgiving fare that it accompanied on the holiday table this year. It's easy to make and light and tasty!

I serve the salad at room temperature, making it an easy dish that does not need to be reheated for the meal. 

I used what I had on hand which included, multi colored cherry tomatoes, canned artichokes, roasted red pepper strips, and sliced almonds.

The salad looked pretty, was low in fat, and was fresh and delicious. A perfect light side dish for our heavy meal for our group of 13. 

The Full Thanksgiving Meal 

The host served turkey and stuffing, mushroom Wellington (gorgeous), quinoa and mushrooms, sweet potato tzimmis, Roasted Brussels sprouts with a honey dijon dressing, salad with hearts of palm, and homemade cookies, cake, and a healthy fruit salad. There was plenty for this vegan to eat! 

Missed My Family

That is the difficult part of spending the winter in Florida. I missed going home to Philadelphia to have Thanksgiving with our kids, grandkids, and extended family, but I felt grateful to be included in my friends family Thanksgiving here in Florida!

There Is a Trick To Cooking The Green beans

The trick for this salad is to cook the fresh green beans properly so they remain bright green and firm, yet tender (see directions).

Ingredients:

2 pounds of fresh green beans, cleaned and ends snipped

1 package of cherry tomatoes, washed and halved

1/2 cup of roasted red pepper strips (from the jar)

1/4-1/2 cup of sliced almonds

1 cup of canned quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained  

Directions: 

First , fill a large mixing bowl halfway with ice. Add water and set aside.

Bring a 4 qt. pot of water to a boil.  Drop in cleaned and snipped green beans and cook for only 2 minutes on a rapid boil. 

Turn off the heat and quickly and carefully remove the green beans  using tongs or a strainer. Immediately place the green beans in the bowl of ice water. When the green beans cool, drain well and remove them to another bowl. 

Store the green beans to make the salad the next day or make the salad immediately by adding the rest of the ingredients. Toss well. 

This salad is appropriate for gluten-free, oil-free, and vegan eating.

My Notes: 

1. I snipped the green beans in bunches of 8 and used a scissor. 

2. You could add a dressing to the salad- I did not! I'm not sure what salad dressing flavors would complement this salad. Perhaps balsamic vinegar !