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Summer Garden Green Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette and Goat Cheese Crostini

Shaina · July 2, 2014 · 9 Comments

A salad recipe of garden-grown green beans, crisp radishes, and heirloom tomatoes is tossed with a light honey-sweetened vinaigrette and feta. Goat cheese crostini provide a crouton-like crunch on the side.
Summer Garden Green Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette and Toasted Goat Cheese Crostini #recipe via FoodforMyFamily.com



My daughter runs through damp grass dotted with white clover. Her sallow hair trails behind her in a mess of swimming-induced tangles. Beach waves, if you like. Pool toys and bikes lay side by side wherever they happened to fall in the midst of last night’s lawn games. A clothesline hanging between two maple trees swings slightly in the breeze of the crisp morning as I obediently gather the hose to water all the things I planted months before.

My garden is bursting with green. The warm days of spring have led into a summer with ideal conditions for growing. More than a bit of rain, plenty of heat, and tender love and care transform my ordinary backyard into a kitchen garden.

Raised beds hold tomato vines that seemingly grow inches each afternoon. Small fruits adorn their branches like Christmas lights just in time for the July celebration. The dark brown dirt is dotted with the green tops of carrots and the bushy leaves of radishes. Along the back fence, my 5-year-old’s green beans have been producing, and on weeks there aren’t enough to satisfy, I pick up a basket or two or three at the market where I can find any number of colored beans waiting to come home with me.
Summer Garden Green Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette and Toasted Goat Cheese Crostini #recipe via FoodforMyFamily.com

Summer Garden Green Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette and Toasted Goat Cheese Crostini #recipe via FoodforMyFamily.com
I find these early days of summer inspiring with their green that has yet to be hit by late summer droughts (we have floods instead) or other afflictions. The growth seems prolific, and the tomatoes appear to be unending in their bounty. Summer still sings with promise.

This salad is a nod to all of my favorite things in the garden at the moment: the long, thin green beans and the radishes that I planted mid-May are getting a chance to shine alongside the smallest tomatoes, which are always the first to be ready for harvesting. Tossed in a red wine vinaigrette with a kiss of honey and a hint of Dijon. Fresh oregano and thyme are plucked from the raised beds, minced, and added for a burst of fragrant flavor. A healthy sprinkle of Valbreso sheep’s milk feta adds rich, creamy bits of salt to help bind it all together.

We served this salad with thin slices of baguette, toasted with a small bit of oil and then broiled with a smear of goat cheese. A drizzle of honey and a sprig or two of the garden’s herbs make these “croutons” a dish in and of themselves.
Summer Garden Green Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette and Toasted Goat Cheese Crostini #recipe via FoodforMyFamily.com

Summer Garden Green Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the vinaigrette:
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon strong Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • For the salad:
  • 1 pound fresh haricot verts
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes or other small tomatoes, halved
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 6 medium radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup Président Valbreso Feta Crumbles

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, and the sea salt. Whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly add in the olive oil to emulsify. Stir in the fresh oregano and thyme.
  • Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil with one tablespoon of salt. Add in the haricot verts and cook for 1 minute, just until tender and vibrant green. Drain and cool.
  • In a large bowl, combine the haricot verts, cherry tomatoes, shallow, sliced radishes, and oregano. Toss with the dressing. Top with the Valbreso Feta crumbles.
  • Notes

    Forgo croutons, and instead serve with goat cheese crostini.

    © Shaina Olmanson
    Category: Side, Salad

     

    Toasted Goat Cheese Crostini

    Yield: 6
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1 large baguette, thinly sliced
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 4 ounces Président goat cheese
    • 3 tablespoons raw honey
    • 3 tablespoons fresh herbs

    Instructions

  • Preheat the broiler. Place sliced baguette on a baking sheet and brush lightly with the olive oil.
  • Broil until the bread is slightly dried out. Remove from the oven and spread each baguette slice with goat cheese. Return to the broiler.
  • Broil the toasts, turning the baking sheet for even cooking, 60 seconds or so, until the edges start to brown. Remove from the oven.
  • Before serving, drizzle the crostini with honey and sprinkle with fresh herbs.
  • © Shaina Olmanson
    Category: Appetizer

     
    Summer Garden Green Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette and Toasted Goat Cheese Crostini #recipe via FoodforMyFamily.com
    Lactalis compensated me to license the photos and content in this post and provided me with complimentary Président cheese products for recipe development purposes. All garden vegetables and ruminations are my own. You can head over to the Art of Cheese site to download a $1 Off coupon, enter to win Président cheese products, and to find recipes and product information.


    Filed Under: Appetizers, Featured, Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes Tagged With: summer

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marly says

      July 2, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      What a beautiful salad – so clean and delicious! I love that most of the ingredients are right from your own garden!

      Reply
    2. Gaby says

      July 2, 2014 at 6:50 pm

      Such clean and fresh flavors and your photos are gorgeous!

      Reply
    3. Tieghan says

      July 2, 2014 at 10:41 pm

      I love fresh eats like this and these colors are beautiful!

      Reply
    4. Sherri@The Well Floured Kitchen says

      July 3, 2014 at 7:02 am

      I love how simple and beautiful this is! The goat cheese crostini sounds delicious.

      Reply
    5. Allison says

      July 3, 2014 at 12:45 pm

      I don’t have green beans in my garden yet (hopefully soon!), but I am getting the first of the tomatoes now . . . and lot’s of herbs. This look deliciously gorgeous – can’t wait to try it.

      Reply
    6. Whitney @ The Newlywed Chefs says

      July 3, 2014 at 1:04 pm

      Beautiful! I bet the zing from the goat cheese and the sweet vegetables really pair well together. Yum.

      Reply
    7. Meredith says

      July 3, 2014 at 11:13 pm

      Perfect summer salad!

      Reply
    8. Sylvie | Gourmande in the Kitchen says

      July 9, 2014 at 4:36 am

      I have to admit I’m a bit jealous of your garden at the moment!

      Reply
    9. Sarah says

      September 25, 2014 at 1:55 am

      This colorful and fresh salad looks delicious, especially when it’s hot. I love green beans and will definitely try your recipe. Thanks

      Reply

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    Hello, I'm Shaina. Food for My Family is where I share recipes, tips, opinions, and my philosophy on food as Ole and I strive to teach our four children how to eat well: seasonally, locally, organically, deliciously, and balanced. [Read more...]
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