Green Beans with Walnut and Feta and Mint Vinaigrette

When I realized that I had way too much feta from my Costco order which I had delivered via Instacart (which I’ve raved about before for bringing me needed items at the last minute right to my door – and I don’t need a Costco membership), I immediately thought of this recipe for Green Beans with Walnut and Feta and Mint Vinaigrette for the next potluck at work in order to help use it up.

I had the recipe idea pinned from The Kitchen is My Playground for a while, with it’s intriguing promise of fun textures of the firm green beans, walnuts, and feta while highlighting a fresh mint vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch or so pieces
• 3/4 cup of diced red onion
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
• 3/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup of minced fresh mint leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt or to taste
• 1/2  teaspoon of  black pepper or to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the cut 1 1/2 pounds of green beans and cook for only 3 minutes –  we want it to turn bright green only. Drain the hot water and immediately plunge the green beans into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and pat dry with paper towels.
   
2. In a mixing bowl set the dried blanched green beans. Add the 1 cup walnuts, 3/4 cup diced red onion, and 1 cup crumbled feta; toss to combine.
   
3. In a food processor combine the 3/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, 1/4 minced fresh mint, 3 cloves worth of minced garlic, salt, and pepper for 30 seconds or so.
   
4. Add the dressing to the mixing bowl and toss everything. Chill for about an hour before serving.
   

So this salad was definitely great for lunch for a couple days… great for the potluck for a group as it was easy to transport to work and leave out. For later lunches it was a nice crispy side of veggies and nuts with a bit of acid to balance out a grilled cheese sandwich.