Sensational Summer Salad

Sensational Summer Salad
 
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Recipe type: Soups and Salads
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • Salad
  • 8 ounces of fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into about 2 inch pieces
  • Two 14 ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained (I use three cans and buy them already quartered)
  • 1 cup of pitted olives (I use Kalamata olives)
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh chives, chopped (I use more because I garnish with it too)
  • 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped basil (Again, I use more because I garnish with it too)
  • 6 large tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 bowl of water with ice in it (to cool the blanched green beans in.)
  • Dressing
  • 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons of whole grain mustard
  • Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil. Drop the green beans into the boiling water and blanch them (about 20 second to one minute, until they turn bring green). Remove the green beans immediately and place them into the ice cold water. Let the green beans sit for about two minutes and then remove them from the ice water.
  2. Combine the green beans, artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes, chives and basil in a large bowl or storage container. Toss until the colors and ingredients are equally distributed.
  3. Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk well.
  4. Pour the dressing over the mixture in the bowl or storage container and stir or shake (if the container has a tight lid) until all ingredients are coated with the dressing. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator. This salad is delicious served immediately, but I like it even more after the ingredients have marinated in the dressing for a day or two.