We’ve been craving summer lately.  The beach, the warm sun, flowers, grilled food, everything.  It’s just the best and I can’t wait for it to get here!!  So in the meantime, we’ve been creating very summery meals at home in anticipation.  The other night we pan seared some steaks (since it was too cold to grill haha!) and I made one of our all time favorite summer salads to go along with it.

Craving a little bit of summer in your March?  Make this Strawberry Green Bean Salad and it will cure what ails you!

Ingredients:

1. Green Beans
2. Strawberries
3. Feta Cheese
4. Pistachios
5. Fresh Mint

Salad Dressing Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup of olive oil
2. 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (or raspberry vinegar!)
3. 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
4. 2 tsp sugar
5. pinch of salt

Salad Dressing Directions

1. Mix the vinegar, sugar, mustard and salt together until smooth.  
2. Slowly pour in the oil, whisking constantly until the mixture has emulsified.
3. Cover and refrigerate until required.

Did I mention how much I love my salad dressing maker thing that Zach got me for Christmas from the Pampered Chef?  It has a BUILT in whisk, lines of measurement and a spout for pouring!  You definitely don’t NEED one of these to make homemade dressing but I highly recommend it!

Salad Directions

1. Blanch green beans in salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes.  Drain and quickly toss in a large bowl of ice water to help retain crunch and color.  Drain when cool.
2. Hull and halve strawberries.  Add to the green beans.
3. Stir in pistachios and mint leaves.  Toss with enough dressing to coat lightly.
4. Scatter feta cheese over salad.
5. Serve with fresh ground pepper on top.

And now for the finished product:  Summer in a Bowl!