Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Tangy Honey-Mustard Green Beans

My fiance and I have been doing a lot of experiments with making our own dressings. I've always been picky about buying all natural salad dressings from the store, but it's a fun challenge to make up your own. This honey-mustard dressing took a number of attempts, but I like the final product. It's got a lot of zing! You can tone it down by just adding less to your green beans, or you can sweeten it up with some extra honey.

The green beans and tomatoes at farmers markets are perfect right now! There was no better combo to put my new honey-mustard dressing on.


Tangy Honey-Mustard Green Beans

4 cups green beans, blanched
1/2 cup leeks, sliced thinly
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons fresh dill
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon rice vinegar (or any other white vinegar)
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons olive oil

Blanch the green beans by cooking them in boiling water for three minutes then rinsing them in cold water. When you add the green beans to the pot of water, do not wait for the water to start boiling again, start the timer right away.

While you are waiting for the water to boil, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Saute the leeks until they are soft, add the tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the fresh dill. Cook until the tomatoes are just coming out of their skins.

For the dressing whisk together the rice vinegar, mustard powder, honey, salt, and olive oil. Taste and tweak as you see fit. Remember it will not taste as strong when it's spread out over the green beans.

Mix the sauteed veggies, the green beans, and the dress. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of fresh dill onto the dish and enjoy!


Serves 4
125 Calories, 9g fat, 5g dietary fiber, 3g sugar, 3g protein