Most green bean salad recipes call for blanching the beans; this recipe roasts them. I love the way roasting beans brings out a deeper sweetness. Either way, cooked green beans absorb dressings and other flavors while raw ones don’t. While this recipe uses quinoa, which is a high-protein grass seed, not a grain. You can substitute bulgar wheat for the quinoa.
Ingredients
1/2 pounds green beans, cut into halves or thirds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4-6 cups arugula, washed, dried and chopped
2 tablespoons stoneground mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425.
Trim the stems from the green beans and cut them in halves or thirds. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast in the oven. Stir the beans once or twice so they cook evenly. When they begin to brown, add 1 minced clove of garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour boiling water to cover over 1 cup of cooked quinoa, then cover it and let steam for 20 minutes. Drain any excess water.
Mix 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons stoneground mustard, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss half of it with the green beans and reserve the rest.
Wash 4-6 cups arugula leaves, spin dry, chop and toss with the green beans. Sprinkle the bulgar over the salad and toss it, a little at a time until you have a nice balance of the three ingredients. Add more dressing to taste.
Optional: Crumble 1/2 C. feta cheese over the salad.
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