Blistered Green Bean & Tomato Salad with Basil Garlic Dressing

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!

0 from 0 votes
Blistered Green Bean & Tomato Salad with Basil Garlic Dressing
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
 
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Servings: 4 people
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
Blistered Green Bean & Tomato Salad
  • 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
Basil Garlic Dressing
  • 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
Instructions
Blistered Green Beans & Tomatoes
  1. Pre-heat a large skillet until it's screaming hot

  2. 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

  3. Mix the veggies until all are getting equal heat, another 10 minutes until slightly charred

  4. Add in the vinegar and salt, pepper

  5. Finish with a squeeze of lemon

  6. While beans are cooling slightly, make the dressing

Basil Garlic Dressing
  1. In the jar of an immersion blender, add the eggs, garlic, salt, pepper, truffle seasoning, basil and oil

  2. Place the immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the jar and start blending, without moving the blender

  3. 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

  4. Blend for another 20-30 seconds until it's thickened and it look like mayo!

  5. 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)

  6. Plate the side dish on a large serving platter and squeeze some more lemon, if you'd like

  7. This dish is great served warm, room temp or even cold!

 

Wild Salmon Sweet Potato Sliders with Garlic Chive Mayo

Salmon Sweet Potato SliderThe Meatless Nine

The 9 days before Tisha B’av are among us, and we Jews have a custom of not eating meat during this time period.  Well, luckily for me, this what I do all year long, so I have a few recipes up my sleeve to help you out – including this “Wild Salmon Sweet Potato Slider, with Garlic Chive Mayo” recipe!

I, like most Ashkenazi Jews are somewhat lactose-intolerant, so LOTS of dairy scares me a bit. Granted, for clean-eating health reasons, I sometimes “try” and stay away from as much dairy as possible. And to be honest, who wants NINE days of heavy cheese dishes anyway? Okay, maybe most of you are raising your hand saying, “seriously, Rachel, why wouldn’t anyone not want to eat a boat-load of cheesy deliciousness??” But, in the case that you may want a tiny break from that, try this recipe!

I got the inspiration for these salmon burgers from the Whole30 cookbook (Whole30 is a clean-eating program that I did a few years ago). It called for canned wild salmon and using the sweet potatoes helps bind it and keep them from drying out – and makes this recipe egg-free! This is my little spin on it, but feel free to use canned tuna if that’s what you have on hand.

Let’s Get Cookin’!

When I first made these, I used 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes that I roasted at 400F for about 30 minutes and waited until cool enough to handle.  Usually, I would use the organic pureed canned sweet potatoes (if they’re on sale at Whole Foods), but apparently I had run out (also, it makes this recipe a gazillion times easier and faster). I love time savers, so I definitely recommend getting the canned – it’s just as good!

If you’re into making larger burgers, you’ll get about 9 burgers out of this recipe.  And if you’re going for sliders, this will make about 12.

To Top It Off…

FYI – the gluten-free bun recipe (though I topped mine with everything seasoning) is from Danielle Walker’s cookbook and blog, “Against All Grain” and they’re awesome! Get her recipe here.

But wait, there’s MORE! There are plenty of recipes for gluten-free buns out there, but you can also use my recent recipe for low-carb rolls (made into burger buns), or just use some bib lettuce instead!

The mayo is also one of my favorites – I love making a basic mayo and then kicking it up with bright bursts of flavor, like lemon, garlic and chives. Plus, the mayo turns out bright green, so that’s fun, haha!

Check out more Whole30 recipes here.

I hope you try these sliders – whether it’s for the 9 days, or for anytime of year, it’s a great alternative to meat burgers,  so hope you enjoy!

0 from 0 votes
Garlic Chive Mayo
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Course: Condiment
Servings: 1 cup
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 1 Egg Preferably pasture-raised, since you're using raw eggs, but keep in mind for people who are sensitive to raw eggs
  • 1/2 Garlic clove
  • 2 tbsp. Lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup Fresh chives, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp. Light olive oil, or Avocado oil, plus 1/2 cup more
Instructions
  1. In a tall glass container, crack the egg; add the salt, garlic, chives, and 2 tbsp. of oil

  2. With an immersion blender, blend ingredients until emulsified, about 20 seconds

  3. Slowly drip in the oil for another 30 seconds or so, until the mayo gets thick and creamy

  4. Alternatively, you can add everything except the 1/2 cup oil, in a blender, and with the motor running, slowly stream in the 1/2 cup of oil until emulsified, about 20-30 seconds

0 from 0 votes
Wild Salmon Sweet Potato Sliders
Prep Time
15 mins
 
Course: Fish, Main Course
Servings: 12 sliders
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 2 Medium sweet potatoes OR 1 15 oz. can of organic pureed sweet potatoes
  • 1 15 oz. can Wild salmon
  • 4 tbsp. Mustard You can use any kind - I like either Dijon or grainy mustard!
  • 1 Garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup Almond flour (if using baked sweet potatoes) Add 1 cup of almond flour, if using canned sweet potatoes
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Dried dill
  • 1/4 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning blend
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400F

  2. If baking sweet potatoes, pierce with a fork and bake at 400F for 30 minutes until soft. Let cool before mixing the flesh with the rest of the ingredients

  3. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl

  4. Place sliders on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400F for 25 minutes until golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside (this is how I like mine, if you don’t like yours too browned, lower the heat to 375. The ingredients are all cooked, so it doesn’t take too long, as this recipe is egg-free)

  5. Serve the sliders on gluten-free hamburger buns, or butter lettuce leaves and top with the garlic chive mayo. Add other fixings too – sliced red onion, tomato, or sun-dried tomatoes, avocado and pickles!

Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onion Pizza

PizzaThis pizza is one of my wife’s favorites. It does take a little bit of time to made the roasted garlic and caramelized onions, but that can be done ahead of time. Roasted garlic and caramelized onions have a million uses.  I love roasted garlic baked in to a crusty homemade loaf of bread, and caramelized onions make a great topping for hot dogs and hamburgers.

This pizza is a great way to add an adult twist to a meal that is often thought of as something for the kids.  You can use the same recipe for the crust and sauce and substitute for other vegetable (or leave them off all together) for the kiddos.

 

5 from 1 vote
Pizza

I have to admit this recipe came from my mother-in-law, although I don't know where she got it from originally.  I like it primarily because it is easy and fast.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 3 Large Pizzas
Ingredients
  • 5 Cups Flour
  • 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
  • 3 Envelopes Dry Yeast
  • 2 Cups Water
  • 2 tbsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined  and dough ball is formed.

  2. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium. Let the dough knead until it can be stretched thin enough to you can see light through it without tearing it. 

  3. Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a towel.  Allow to rise until the dough doubles in size.

  4. Preheat your oven to 500°F.  If you have a pizza stone place it in the oven before you the oven is hot.

  5. Take a dough ball and roll it in to a thin to the size you desire and place on a pizza screen or pan. Spread on sauce, cheese, and toppings and bake until the crust is golden.

5 from 1 vote
Pizza Sauce

This is a super easy recipe,  Feel free to adjust to your particular taste.

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 Large Pizza
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 8 oz Can Tomato Sauce
  • 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 Tsp Red Paper Flake Optional if you like some heat
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the spices to hydrate and the flavors to come together.

5 from 1 vote
Roasted Garlic
Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 1 min
 
Course: Sauce
Servings: 1 Head
Ingredients
  • 1 Head Garlic
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

  2. Slice off the top of the head of the garlic, exposing the top of all of the garlic cloves.

  3. Put the garlic on a large piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

  4. Wrap the garlic in the foil and bake until the clove are golden brown and soft enough to be easily squeezed from the paper, about an hour.

5 from 1 vote
Caramelized Onions
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

A great topping for burger, pizza, or a hot dog.  It can also be added to mayo or yogurt to make a dip.

Course: Sauce
Ingredients
  • 6 Large Onions Sliced
  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Butter Substitute more olive oil for a dairy free version
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a large saute pan and place over low heat.

  2. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft and a deep golden brown.  It they start to brown too fast, lower the heat.

For a healthier gluten free option check out Rachel’s take on pizza: Pizza Challenge! (the Rachel version)