Hooray for easy #quarantine recipes!
Here’s the scoop. Since we’re all continuing to spend more time at home, I think we’re all looking for easy meals to make, especially while some of you are juggling Zoom meetings, screaming kids and perhaps trying to stay sane. Well, today, I’m giving you an incredibly easy (under 20 min) that is a healthy side dish for Shabbat or any day of the week. This Blistered Green Bean & Tomato Salad with Basil Garlic Dressing is just what the doctor ordered. Well, you know what I mean. 🙂
The trick to making this dish is to get your pan screaming hot. And once you add in the green beans and tomatoes, don’t move them around just yet. Wait a few minutes for them to get a little charred and blistered and the tomatoes have started bursting. I added pomegranate vinegar for a hint of sweetness (you can find it at Trader Joe’s – here’s hoping they still have it)! But fear not, you can use apple cider vinegar, or rice wine vinegar would be delicious too. Then add in some olive oil, salt and pepper, and a BIG squeeze of lemon. Because as we know, everything is better with a squeeze of lemon.
Have more time on your hands? Add in some roasted garlic to the dressing instead of raw garlic. This will bring an additional sweetness and mellow out the garlic a bit.
My Holy Grail Dressing
Full disclosure about this dressing. I can eat it on EVERYTHING. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but this dressing is so versatile! It’s great as a salad dressing, a dip for veggies or tortilla chips, would be perfect for a summer pasta salad, or you can even slather it on chicken or salmon before roasting in the oven, since it’s dairy-free! I also like to make this dressing base and add in other herbs like dill and parsley for a homemade ranch dressing. My husband will typically find me dipping practically anything I can find in our fridge, into this dressing. And he might also find me licking my bowl clean (#sorrynotsorry).
Remember when I said this dish was so quick, it can be made in under 20 minutes? While the green beans and tomatoes are getting charred in the pan, this is your chance to make the dressing. Can we say #multitasking? It truly takes about 5 minute and some of the ingredients like lemon, salt and pepper are used for both ingredients, so less trips to the fridge.
That’s it, folks. Easy, yet impressive-looking side dish that you might want to serve for this upcoming Shabbat lunch, or for your next picnic (only if you’re social distancing, that is). It also holds well in the fridge the next day, though the beans won’t be crispy, but I think this side is perfect served warm, room temp or cold.
Enjoy making this Blistered Green Bean & Tomato Salad with Basil Garlic Dressing – and hope ya’ll are staying safe!
- 1/2 lbs. Green Beans, trimmed
- 1 pint Cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp Pomegranate Vinegar Or use apple cider or rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 Lemon
- 2 Eggs, organic and pasture raised
- 1-2 Garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup Fresh basil, rinsed
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Truffle and parsley seasoning Totally optional but it's SO good in this dressing!
- 1 cup Avocado oil Or use another neutral-flavored oil, such as light olive oil, or if you're keto, use MCT oil!
- 1/2 Lemon Use the other half of the lemon you cut for the green beans
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Pre-heat a large skillet until it's screaming hot
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Add in the olive oil, green beans and tomatoes and DO not move for a few minutes until the veggies are starting to blister and tomatoes are starting to burst
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Mix the veggies until all are getting equal heat, another 10 minutes until slightly charred
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Add in the vinegar and salt, pepper
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Finish with a squeeze of lemon
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While beans are cooling slightly, make the dressing
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In the jar of an immersion blender, add the eggs, garlic, salt, pepper, truffle seasoning, basil and oil
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Place the immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the jar and start blending, without moving the blender
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Once the mixture starts to emulsify, after about 10-15 seconds, slowly move the blender up to the middle and top of the blender cup, making sure all of the oil is incorporated
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Blend for another 20-30 seconds until it's thickened and it look like mayo!
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Plate the green beans and tomatoes in a large bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the dressing (to start, you can always add more, but you don't want the dressing to drown the green beans)
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Plate the side dish on a large serving platter and squeeze some more lemon, if you'd like
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This dish is great served warm, room temp or even cold!