Recipe of the Week- Green Bean Salad

These past few weeks have teased us with a sense of cooler temperatures, only to throw in a few days of those three-digit scorchers! Those 100+ days have us Californians running for the indoors! And for the most part, I hardly use my oven and am always looking for creative cooking methods to prevent my house from feeling as muggy as it is outside. This recipe is a perfect way to incorporate green beans into the summer repertoire- and tasty enough to trick your kids into asking for seconds!! 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of trimmed green beans, cut into 2 - 3 inch long pieces
1/2 C finely chopped red onion
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 C fresh basil, finely chopped
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Pro Tips: while the green beans are blanching, soak your chopped red onion in a bowl of water. This will help take the bitterness & edge off!

Blanch the green beans in a large pot of boiling water. Add a few pinches of salt and stir for about 3-4 minutes or until the green beans are BARELY cooked through. Strain the green beans from the boiling water and immediately shock them in ice water to prevent from further cooking & to help the cooling process. Drain both the cool green beans and the red onions and place in a mixing bowl. Add the balsamic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper. Stir until all the green beans are coated and add the Parmesan cheese to the top. Lightly toss to incorporate the cheese and then serve!!