garden green bean and radish salad
Our summer officially started today.
NO ONE got up this morning at 5:30 AM, at least no one that didn’t want to get up. NO ONE had to shower or eat before 8. NO ONE, meaning one child in particular whom we love a lot, even though he might not be sure after reading this. We have all been cringing from 5:45-7 AM every school morning for nine months. It’s time to be done with that for just a little while! Summer means NO ONE is sleepily running into doors on accident, or loudly shutting the medicine cabinet, or the refrigerator, or the front door and coming back for forgotten items and repeating that last one too many times. 😭 And possibly more important than anything, NO ONE will have to hear his parents yell “SHUSH!” as if their lives depended on it and crimes were committed.
This morning was heaven in the household, coffee and quiet without shushing, no early risers from noise, and everyone who wanted to sleep still sleeping.
Speaking of heaven, everything in Minnesota seems lovely right now, am I right? Green things, breezy things, sunny things, patio things, no mosquitos. I know, I’ve had one morning, and everything is love.
When I made this salad a few weeks ago, I decided to plan my garden around it. Or did I plan my garden favorites and then make this salad? Who cares! I love green beans and radishes and thought they needed to go together. It’s pretty much a Nicoise salad without the potatoes, although you could certainly make it a potato salad if you like.
One of my essentials on a weekly basis is to make some variety of salad dressing or sauce that can hopefully go with multiple options. The recipe below includes the salad dressing with extra enough to keep in a jar for the week or two. We like it here for lunch with chicken and eggs, or added to greens for a quick side to dinner!
This salad celebrates my long awaited summer, with NO ONE waking up for the next three months unless they want to.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of green beans ends trimmed and cut 1-inch lengths, about 2 cups
- 1 can of chunk white albacore tuna in water drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup radishes thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives pitted and halved
- 2-4 hard-boiled eggs
- 3-4 cups fresh spinach or greens optional
Lemon dressing ingredients
- 1 lemon squeezed and strained
- 1/2 cup light olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 garlic clove crushed optional
Creamy lemon dressing ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise – only added at the end of recipe!
Instructions
Lemon dressing base:
- Make 2 salad dressings. For the lemon dressing, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, crushed garlic if you are using, and salt & pepper.
- While whisking slowly add olive oil to incorporate.
- Save this dressing in a jar for at least a week, longer if you don’t add the garlic!
Creamy lemon dressing:
- Whisk together 2 Tablespoons of lemon dressing and 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
- Set aside for the end.
Salad:
- In a large bowl, combine cold and blanched green beans, tomatoes, scallions, radishes, capers, olives and drained tuna broken up into pieces.
- Pour creamy lemon dressing over the top and gently stir together.
- Add hard-boiled egg slices on top (don’t mix in), sprinkle eggs and salad lightly with salt and pepper and a drizzle of lemon dressing if you wish, and serve.
- If you want to make a more substantial salad, toss spinach greens with extra lemon dressing as the base and top with green bean salad on top.
Makes 3-4 servings!
This post contains affiliate links to products I know and love. I recommend any of them for this recipe!
I might have just screamed SUMMER with my typing fingers, but NO ONE heard it. 🙏
HAPPY SUMMER!
~Heather
Last Updated on June 15, 2022 by Heather Bursch
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