Down Home With the Carrolls

Are y’all fans of Food Network??  I swear our T.V. stays tuned to that channel the better part of the day.  When Mr. Spouse’s brother & his family were visitng {aka: the other Carrolls}, we were tuned into one of my favorite Food Network shows, Down Home with the Neelys.  LOVE them!  My sister-in-law, Bobbi, was locked into the screen when Pat & Gina were showcasing their Green Bean Salad.  I wasn’t paying much attention, but from what I could see, it looked pretty tasty.  Bobbi was all over it and insisted she make it to accompany our dinner that night.  Now…I gotta say that a few of the ingredients didn’t look 100% appealing to me {the pistachios in particular}, but OHMIWORD.  It was AMAZING!  Seriously one of the best salads I’ve ever had!!  I’m so happy my sister-in-law is such a dang go-getter!!!  This is a salad that I could eat everyday!! 

 

GREEN BEAN SALAD

1 1/4 lbs. thing fresh green beans, trimmed

1 shallot, minced

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 oz. mixed baby greens

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup fresh basil chiffonade {& just incase you’re curious about the chiffonade, you can see how to do it HERE…basicall, cut your basil into thin strips!!!}

1/4 cup shelled, salted & roasted pistachios

6 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

 

I don’t have any step-by-step pics of this little number, but I swear you won’t need ‘em! 

First, set your fresh green beans in a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes, then remove them and set them in a bowl of ice water for 2 more minutes, drain water, and dry well.  The whole boiling/ice water process is also known as blanching, thankyouverymuch :) {ha ha…just learned that term!}

In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, and olive oil.   Season the mix with salt & pepper, to taste.

Spread the baby greens onto a large platter {because it just looks too dang pretty like this} and top with the cherry tomatoes, green beans, and basil.

Now drizzle the vinaigrette mix over the greens and sprinkle with pistachios and feta. 

OHIMIWORD.  Does that not look heavenly?!  Because seriously…it is!!!!  I really didn’t know if I’d like it, but y’all…it’s seriously one of the best salads ever!!  I think it would even be better with the tomato/basil flavored feta!!  And the pistachios were a big hit.  Take my word for it.  I don’t even like nuts and they were so yum!  I do love a little crunch in my salad :)  I think this is a dish you need to add to your menu asap!!!  I promise you won’t be disappointed!!!

YUM SCRUM!!