Garden Bean Salad from Food Network Magazine.
We’re teaming up with other food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2010, a season-long garden party. Each week we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. To join in, check out awaytogarden.com.
Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you . . . Improve your cholesterol. What’d you think I was going to say? Seriously, studies have shown that beans lower cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. Plus they’re high in fiber and fill you up so you crave less bad-for-you foods.
So why do these little heart-helpers often get a bad rap? (At least at picnics anyway.) It seems that one guest always ruins the party by bringing a lame 3-bean salad, so tangy you’re not sure if it’s intentional or spoiled. I’ve even suspected some of my family members of bringing canned 3-bean salad. So gross. Don’t let this happen to you. Here are 7 spectacular bean salads that will, along with the Garden Bean Salad pictured above, not only save your next picnic, but beans’ reputation as well.
Smitten Kitchen’s Mixed Bean Salad, inspired by Mario Batali’s NYC gastropub, The Spotted Pig:
East Village Kitchen’s Green Bean Salad With Radishes and Prosciutto:
Bal Arenson’s Coconut Bean Salad, which, I might add, can be made in seconds:
Green Bean Salad With Greek Olives and Feta from Kalyn’s Kitchen:
Aida’s Simple Green Bean Salad With Lemon Dressing:
Potato-Green Bean Salad With Lemon and Basil from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen (note the inventive use of potatoes in the pesto instead of oil):
Warm Green Bean Salad With Tomatoes from My Gourmet Connection:
So there you go. The more you eat, the better you feel, so eat your beans at every meal.
More Greens, Beans and Herbs with Friends and Family:
- A French Take on Greens, Beans and Herbs from the Cooking Channel
- Top 6 Herbs from Healthy Eats
- Leftover Herb Solution (Pesto!) from Alison at Food2
- Recipes for The “Other” Summer Greens from the FN Dish
- White on Rice Couple Todd and Diane use fresh mint to make homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream.
- Nicole at Pinch My Salt features Green Beans with Balsamic Browned Butter.
- Margaret at A Way to Garden stores a year of herbs-and makes one-pot Farinata, a polenta dish with greens.
- Food Network UK is on the edge with herbs and greens.
- Caroline at the Wright Recipes is cooking up Wax and Butter Bean Herbed Salad.
- Jennifer and Mark at Gilded Fork have a virtual garden of recipes for basil, cilantro, fennel, lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, sage and tarragon, including Lavender Pound Cake and Rosemary & Honey-Roasted Pears.
- Shauna and Danny at Gluten Free Girl and the Chef are growing fava beans.
- Tigress in a Jam has a preserving-book giveaway, and ways to put up greens, beans, herbs.
- Caron at San Diego Foodstuff talks about Kale and Feta Empanadas and roasted Romano beans.
- Alana at Eating From the Ground Up has shirred eggs with fresh herbs: the affinity between eggs and herbs.
- Cate O’Malley at Sweetnicks makes a fresh green bean salad.
- Kelly at Just a Taste makes fresh herb ricotta.
- Tara at Tea and Cookies whips up a Clean Out the Fridge Frittata.
- Judy at Tuscan Diva makes an Italian herb blend.
- Paige at The Sister Project has “Aloha, Pesto”.
Don’t forget to join the conversation on twitter, and check out our thoughts on zukes and cukes and corn.
