Salads… tasty and refreshing during the hot Summer days. However, salads should not only be made from lettuce. Some of the best salads I have made were when I needed to clean out my vegetable drawer. Any fridge left overs can become the star of a dish, all depending what you can pair it with in your pantry. This is exactly what I did today…
This recipe was whipped up in less than 15 minutes with what I needed to pass in the fridge. You can do a lot with what is left over in your fridge, as long that you have a full pantry. Your pantry should be your best friend in the kitchen. Canned goods always come in handy and let’s not forget about spices, oils and vinegar… they can make any boring dish a success.
Call me silly, but I FIFO (first in, first out) my fridge. Sunday morning is usually when I stock up the fridge for the week. So, any left over in the drawers need to be used in order to make room for the fresh stuff.
This week, I had to use from the fridge:
- 1 green onion
- 1/2 of an orange pepper
- Black olives
- Green beans
- Garlic
- Dijon Mustard
From the pantry I took:
- Can of Mixed beans
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Honey
- Salt & pepper
First, cut the green beans in quarters and bowl them for about 5 minutes. This will make them just the perfect crispy texture for your salad. While this is boiling, in a medium size bowl, add your chopped pepper, chopped green onion and the sliced black olives.
Using a strainer, empty your mixed bean can and rinse under cold water to insure you wash them properly. Make sure that you take out any extra water from the strainer before adding the mixed bean to your bowl.
Do the same thing with the green beans. Passing them under cold water will stop the cooking process and will insure that they remains crisp (no body wants soggy green beans in a salad). Add them to your bowl along with some salt and pepper.
We all know that the best part of a salad is the dressing. For this salad, I had the option of using a left over salad dressing from restaurant ”Le Patrimoine” (see below for more details) from Home, but thought I would keep it for one of my green salads I will have for lunch this week. Instead, I decided to whip up my own using:
- 3 Tbsp of Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp of Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tsp of Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp of Honey
- Half a clove of garlic chopped finely
Mix all of these together and pour in the bowl. Using a spoon, mix everything together. Cover salad and let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. This will insure that all the flavors have time to mix together.
This salad can be paired with any type of beef or with a nice chicken breast. It simply tastes amazing and is very satisfying!
Le Patrimoine Restaurant
If ever you travel to Edmundston, N.-B. or you simply pass by, you have to stop in for their famous Wood Stove baked Pizzas. They also have a salad dressing that is simply AMAZING! I insured to stock up last time we went back home.
Just to be clear, I am not paid to endorse this restaurant. However, I do want to share some of the best places to eat from back home. Visit their website by clicking the restaurant name above. Stop by, enjoy a great meal!
