Green Bean Salad With Pecans And Dry Cured Ham Recipes

FRESH GREEN BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add beans; cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place beans in ice water. Drain and pat dry., In a large bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with a slotted spoon.

GREEN BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Combine vegetables in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, mix together oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and water. Pour over vegetables, and stir to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours or overnight.

GREEN BEAN, PECAN, AND FETA SALAD

Steps:

• Trim the ends (and strings, if you like) from the green beans, then snap or cut them into thirds.
• Using a steamer basket in a pan, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until crisp-tender; plunge the cooked beans into cold water to stop the cooking process, then drain and pat dry.
• Toss together the cooked green beans, sliced onion, feta, and pecans in a large bowl; cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive bowl to make the vinaigrette; chill for 1 hour.
• Pour the vinaigrette over bean mixture, toss, and chill an additional 1 hour; toss again just before serving.
• Makes 8 servings.
• Notes: walnuts or pine nuts can be substituted for pecans, and dill may be substituted for basil if you prefer.
• Tweaked and adapted from a recipe posted at Gail's Recipe Swap.

HAM AND BLACK BEAN BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Cook rice according to package directions with salt and water (butter, optional). When the rice has cooled a bit, transfer to a large mixing bowl and combine gently with the black beans, which have been rinsed and drained.
• Chop the red onion and taste to see if it's too strong for an uncooked salad. If strong, soak the onion in cold water, spiked with a bit of sugar and vinegar, for 10 minutes.
• Drain onion and add to rice mixture, along with the jicama, olives and both bell peppers.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ham; saute, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, adding the minced garlic for the last minute of cooking. Add ham mixture to rice.
• Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to a small jar. Add vinegar, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in small jar with lid. Shake well and drizzle the dressing over the salad.
• Toss with a fork and taste for salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature for best flavor.

CREAMY GREEN BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine sour cream and salad dressing; mix well. Stir in beans, tomato and onion. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve on lettuce.

CRUNCHY GREEN BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place honey and cayenne in a small saucepan; heat until warm. Stir in nuts. Line a baking pan with a Silpat (a French nonstick baking mat). Pour mixture onto Silpat. Bake until dark-golden brown, about 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, and salt. Slowly drizzle in walnut oil, whisking constantly, until mixture is emulsified. Set aside.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water; set aside. Bring a medium stockpot of water to a boil. Add string beans; cook just until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain immediately; immerse in ice water. Remove,pat dry; place in a large bowl. Toss with reserved dressing. Add reserved nuts, dried cranberries, and sliced endive. Add pepper to taste; toss gently. Serve immediately.

GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH PECANS AND DRY-CURED HAM

Steps:

• Steam the beans for 10 minutes (12 if they are frozen), until cooked through but still crisp (if your steamer if small, work in two batches to ensure even cooking). Dump the beans in a large bowl of ice-cold water, to stop the cooking and preserve the beans' colour. Drain thoroughly.
• In a medium salad bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Season with a little salt- not too much, as dry-cured ham is quite salty- and a generous grind of pepper. Add the beans and parsley, and toss gently to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Arrange the ham and pecans over the beans. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to a day. Remove from the fridge half an hour before eating. (You can also plate the salad individually: divide the beans among plates, and top with ham and pecans.).