Green beans are the gift of the summer growing season that keep on giving! As an extremely plentiful and versatile vegetable that produce throughout the entire growing season, beans are a great addition to any summer meal. Beans are unique, as they can be eaten cooked or raw without skimping on flavor. Their crisp, earthy and slightly bitter flavor creates the perfect base for any dish. As legumes, beans are a fantastic source of fiber and antioxidants.
Growing beans can benefit the health of your garden’s soil, since they “fix” nitrogen (convert nitrogen in the air into nitrogen that’s usable in soil). Nitrogen is a key nutrient needed in soil to promote healthy crop growth and sustain important microorganisms that keep soil healthy and viable for multiple seasons.
This roasted green bean salad and tahini whipped feta is a perfect, savory summer dish. At this point in the season, we are lucky enough to use a bounty of ingredients and flavors straight from our garden; including green beans, yellow wax bush beans, purple Henderson pole beans, Sungold cherry tomatoes, red onion, and nasturtium flowers!
For the Green Bean Salad:
- 1-2 cups fresh green beans (or any bush or pole bean variety you have growing in your garden!)
- ½ of a small red onion, diced
- ¼ cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- ½ TBSP red pepper chili flakes
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup of sliced almonds, toasted
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut off the ends of your green beans and add to a bowl with your sliced tomatoes and diced red onion. Add seasoning and oil and mix well to make sure all vegetables are evenly coated.
- Add the seasoned vegetables to a nonstick baking sheet and let roast for 10-12 minutes, tossing half way through to avoid burn. Vegetables are done when the beans are beginning to look golden and the tomatoes are blistered.
- In a small frying pan, toast almond slices at medium heat until fragrant and golden brown. Set aside for later use.
For the Whipped Feta:
- 4oz feta cheese (½ fo a regular sized block), diced
- 1 TBSP lemon juice
- A pinch of pepper
- About 1 TBSP of water
- 1 TBSP organic tahini
- In a food processor, add the diced feta, pepper, lemon juice and water. Blend until feta reaches a thick and
To Plate:
Lay your roasted veggies on a plate, add a dollop of the whipped feta on top, along with some toasted almonds and nasturtium flowers (whole or pulled apart) for garnish! Enjoy!
- creamy consistency.
- Add tahini into feta, and lightly mix in.
- Add additional lemon juice if needed.
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