Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad

Here's a great side salad for your next veggie burger night - green beans and summer-fresh tomatoes tossed in a simple vinaigrette.  As with my recipe for Green Beans and Potatoes Tossed with Pesto or Grilled Tomato Sandwiches, this is the kind of recipe that's worth a trip to the farmers' market, for the absolute best produce.

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4 pounds trimmed green beans
• 1 and 1/4 pounds quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Cook the green beans in boiling water for 7 minutes, until tender.  Drain, and combine the beans in a large bowl with the cherry tomatoes and oregano.

Note: you can use all red cherry tomatoes, but with so many other varieties at farmers' market stalls, it's fun to go for a multi-colored blend.  Add yellow, orange, or heirloom cherry tomatoes to the mix too.

2. Whisk together the shallots and red wine vinegar; let stand for 10 minutes.  Add the olive oil, salt, and black pepper, and pour over the green bean mixture.  Toss well.

I thought this salad paired perfectly with veggie burgers.

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (1 cup), Calories 51 

Tasting Notes:
The oregano lifted this green bean salad above the rest.  Add to that the fresh tomatoes and green beans that both tasted just-picked from the farm, and lovely notes of vinegar and shallot to each bite, and there was very little to complain about.  An easy summer side.

Rating:
3.5