Crunchy Green Bean Salad

I get so happy when I see good green beans at the grocery store. Smooth, bright green bean pods resting in messy haystacks inside wooden crates. The best ones reward you with a slightly sweet snap against your teeth when you bite into them raw!

I wanted to make a dish the celebrates all my favorite qualities of this veggie: crunchiness and clean, green flavor. The dish is inspired by one my friend Collin W made once with raw green beans that really surprised me with the spicy sweetness of the raw veggie. I opted to go for the quick blanching route, however, because that quick cooking really brings out the green to make an even more beautiful dish.  This is a great summer side that works well cool or at room temp to bring to all the pot lucks and back yard bbqs you are getting invited to!

Ingredients(6-8 servings)

• 1 lb green beans
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 4-5 strips lemon zest
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 TB sesame oil
• fresh ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Prep the ingredients:
   1. Trim the ends off the green beans
   2. Finely chop up the raw almonds
   3. Zest the lemon and slice the lemon zest into thin strips
   4. Mince the garlic
2. Prep an ice water bath in a bowl large enough to fit the green beans
3. Add 2 cups of water and 1/2 the lemon zest to a pot and heat to boiling and cook the beans for 2 min
4. Drain and immediately dunk the beans in the ice water bath to keep from cooking further. Beans should be bright green and very crunchy.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, black pepper, and rest of lemon zest to form a dressing
6. Place green beans in a large bowl. Pour dressing & chopped almonds over the green beans and toss to distribute.
7. Serve cold or at room temp

What are you guys making to bring to your summer time parties?