Classic, simple and rustic! This salad was actually inspired by this gorgeous bowl my mum gave me at Christmas. As soon as I saw it all I could see was this salad piled high with fresh ingredients, plenty of parsley and a taste of the med. Do you find different dishes inspire different recipes?
I haven’t exactly reinvented the wheel here, this is a salad which I have seen variations of many times in restaurants and in cook books but if you haven’t tried it before then you’re in for a treat. You only need a small amount of the sundried tomatoes to give a hint of saltiness as they can be quite over powering, a bit like how some people use a small amount of pancetta in a salad…think of this as a vegan alternative 
I don’t usually buy pine nuts because they are quite a bit more expensive then other nuts and seeds but they are so perfect in this salad I decided to splash out. Chopped almonds or pumpkin seeds could work nicely too.
Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Vegan, vegetarian, wheat and gluten free, dairy free
300g Green beans (or a few large handfuls)
3 Salad Tomatoes
Large bunch parsley
12-15 Black olives
6 Sundried tomatoes (If they are not in oil then soak them in water for 10 mins)
Extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful Pinenuts
Trim the ends off the green beans then steam or boil the green beans until al dente (approx 5 minutes at a gentle boil) then put into a big serving bowl.
Roughly chop the fresh tomatoes and parsley, finely slice the olives and Sundried tomatoes and mix it all together with the green beans.
Place the pine nuts in a frying pan with no added oil and keep on a medium heat until toasted and golden. Sprinkle them on the salad and then squeeze over the lemon and finish with a good drizzle of olive oil.
Posted by Jennifer M. on January 7, 2013 at 12:14 pm
Oh yum! I used to have a beautiful blue pottery bowl that inspired me. Unfortunately, I broke it several years ago and have never replaced it. I think I need to do that, now that I see yours
Posted by budgetcookingblog on January 7, 2013 at 1:44 pm
Nice photos! Very crisp!
Posted by A Tablespoon of Liz on January 7, 2013 at 1:53 pm
Thats a beautiful bowl!! And this salad looks amazing. I normally try to serve a salad with dinner every night, and I’m getting kind of tired of the plain lettuce version, I’ll have to try this and change things up a bit!
Posted by An Unrefined Vegan on January 7, 2013 at 4:13 pm
That is gorgeous! It just screams yummy-healthfulness!
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