Fresh Green Bean Salad

To make a fresh green bean salad you must boil and shock the beans in a cold water and ice bath. That is the most important step to make this salad. As for the other ingredients you can omit, substitute, or add any other ingredient as you may like.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1 medium sized zucchini
1 large portebello mushroom
1/2 cup of chopped red onion
1 small jar of pimientos

Dressing:

1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup wine,cider, or balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic-minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. celery seed
1-2 tbsp.brown sugar
1 tsp salt

Trim ends from beans and rinse in a colander. Put beans in a pot of boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. While beans are cooking fill a pot or bowl with water and ice cubes.

Drain boiling water from beans and immediately immerse them in the ice water bath. This stops them from cooking and keeps them crisp, vibrant and green.

When beans are cool, put them in a colander to drain water, and cut them in half on a cutting board. Add them to a large salad bowl.

Cut zucchini lengthwise, discarding the middle seed section. Cut lengths into 1/4 inch strips and chop strips into 2-3 inch lengths. Add to bowl.

Chop the portebello mushroom into aprox. 1 inch squares and add to salad. Add onions and pimentos(drain water from jar first).

Mix dressing from the ingredients listed, adjust salt and/or sugar to taste and add to salad. mix well and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Toss salad a couple of times while cooling and just before serving. This salad should be eaten fairly soon after the 2-3 hour cooling as the mushroom and zucchini will get soggy after a while.