Monday, July 18, 2011

Potato Green Bean Salad (CSA Week 5)


Another week and what, are those peas?!?  And green beans!?!  (And carrots and spinach and chard oh my).  Week 5 of Marshalls Fenway Farm CSA certainly did not disappoint!

All the spinach I've been getting (and the humidity) has driven quite the smoothie kick, so you won't likely see it in any recipes soon.  If you haven't tried it yet, you must.  Start with a small handful in your favorite blend and you won't taste it, promise (right Kerstin?)!  This one contained almond milk, protein powder, cucumber (peeled), spinach, 1/2 frozen banana and some strawberries if I remember correctly.  Delish :)


Green Smoothie, glass from Lancaster Brewing Co


I've never been a fan of potato salad, in fact I've probably mentioned it before.  But when Rebecca made Deb's Potato Arugula Salad over the 4th of July, it was a big hit.  Filled with lots of green veggies and tossed with a light dressing, this was anything but your traditional potato salad.


purple potatoes make me smile :)

When I saw the green beans and peas in my CSA, the salad came immediately into mind, except with a few different twists.  More vegetables came to the party, and a little protein was added to make it more of a meal.  This is a perfect light lunch or dinner for the summer, perhaps bring it to the beach or park for a picnic!  It was also delicious over the course of the next few days, so don't hesitate to make it ahead of time.




Potato Green Bean Salad
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4 (as a main dish salad)

1lb fresh peas, shelled (~1c peas, could also use frozen)
1lb green beans, trimmed and cut into ~1" pieces
1 1/2lbs fingerling potatoes, sliced into ~1/2" rounds
1lb chicken breasts, poached  and cut into bite-size pieces (tofu would work well here too)
5oz arugula
2oz walnuts, lightly toasted
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3T mild vinegar (I used champagne vinegar)
3T greek yogurt
1 1/2t dijon mustard
3/4t coarse salt
3T extra virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  While that's heating up, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.  Add a pinch of salt and the green beans to the boiling water.  Cook for 2-3min, then add the shelled peas and cook another minute more.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans and peas to the ice bath.

Add potatoes to the boiling water and cook for ~10min, until the rounds are fork tender and not falling apart.  Pour potatoes into a colander to drain, as well as the beans and peas.  Set aside.

In a very large bowl (or better yet, split it into two bowls so you don't spill everything onto your counter), add arugula, potatoes, beans, peas and chicken.  Season with 1/2t salt and 1/4t pepper and toss to combine.

For the dressing, whisk together vinegar, yogurt, dijon and salt.  Continue whisking as you add the oil, then drizzle over salad.  Toss salad again and serve!  Or transfer to containers to store in the fridge until you're leaving for the beach/park/work :)




Do you have a go-to summer salad? 

22 comments:

Erica said...

Green monsters are pretty tasty (as long as a banana is in the mix ;)). And I agree- I can't stand traditional potato salad. I recently made one with green beans and pesto and loved it. This version sounds so good as well.

Elizabeth said...

This looks insanely good. The mustard dressing and arugula sound particularly delicious.

brandi @ BranAppetit said...

this salad sounds so good! and i have WAY too many green beans, so I need recipes.

Emily @ A Cambridge Story said...

I love seeing how different everyone's CSAs are from mine. Potatoes would be excellent!

Esi said...

I like picking out my produce, but I've always been intrigued by the idea of a CSA

Fun and Fearless in Beantown said...

My go-to summer salad is a caprese salad with tomato, mozzarella and basil!

peachkins said...

This salad looks so festive!

Delicious Dishings said...

This is a potato salad I could get behind! It looks so light and flavorful.

Joanne said...

I'm getting green beans from the CSA and was hoping to find a salad to put them into. JACKPOT.

Maris(In Good Taste) said...

I think I just found my new favorite salad!

Bridget said...

I miss my green smoothies!! I need a new blender asap, last time I tried adding kale it just left me with tiny kale pieces that I basically had to chew...eww. Blender is crapping out :(

That salad sounds AWESOME! I'm not a big potato salad fan either but this sounds absolutely delicious!

I'm liking reading about everyone's CSA's...will make it easier for me to pick one next year!

Jess said...

My salads never have potatoes! What a great idea!

sophia said...

That's a brilliant mix-- and a whole, complete meal in one dish. I love one-pot meals like this. And the colors are stunning!

Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living said...

The purple potatoes give such a gorgeous pop of color to the otherwise green salad - beautiful!

I've been eating a lot of salads (and smoothies!) as well in this heat. Anything with fresh fruit appeals to me these days, so I've been tossing berries into salads left and right :).

Kristen said...

This salad looks great! Last night I made a simple salad of lettuce, carrots and radish topped with crispy chicken breasts, nothing too exciting but salads for dinner in the summer are the best!

Natalie said...

this is my kind of summer meal!

our fave summer salad is the caprese panzanella on my blog--never gets old!!

Val said...

Looks like a great Summer salad. CSA is amazing..we have been doing it for 2 months and I just heart it.

Reeni said...

What an amazing mix of ingredients for a salad! I'm in love.

Anonymous said...

A terrific summer salad, just perfect for a light dinner!

Elina (Healthy and Sane) said...

Not sure what's going on but I haven't been eating enough salads this summer (very unusual for me). This one looks totally incredible! Love all the CSA goodies :)

Unknown said...

oh yes, the famous summer salads can feed me year long please! just made one with zucchini.
;)

Kerstin said...

This sounds delicious and I love that there's no mayo and you added protein so it's filling! And yes, I'll take one of your green smoothies any day :)

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