Yum. I made this dish for the first time few nights ago, and I am so happy with how well it turned out. Crunchy green beans and walnuts, combined with pungent blue cheese and red onion, make a wonderfully rich and savory salad. I served this as a side to a great (and garlicky) pot of healthy winter vegetable soup. The meal was a resounding success. Again, yum.
Green Bean and New Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans, chopped into 2″ pieces
- 2-6 golden and purple new potatoes*
- about 1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup raw walnuts (or roasted, if you prefer), roughly chopped
- about 5 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
*For this version, I just threw in two little potatoes for fun and a bit of color. Next time, I would use about six–they were good! On the other hand, I think you could easily leave them out and make a strictly green bean salad that is equally delicious.
Directions
- Thinly slice the potatoes. Add them to the bottom of a steamer with already boiling water.
- After about 8 minutes, add the green beans. Continue to boil for another 6 minutes or so. Let cool.
- While the beans and potatoes are steaming, prepare the onions, walnuts, and parsley. Thinly slice the onion and coarsely chop the walnuts and parsley, mixing all together in a salad bowl.
- Once the beans have cooled a bit, add them to the bowl. Drizzle olive oil to coat, with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, to taste. Toss all ingredients together to mix.
- Serve immediately, or chill for a bit to let flavors meld.
© 2012, Juniper Stokes
The Soup
When I prepared the soup to go with this meal, I really just threw whatever vegetables I had on hand in a bit pot with a lot of garlic and herbs. I didn’t take any pictures or write anything down because I wasn’t expecting an amazing soup–just a good healthy soup to fulfill my winter-weather cravings. But of course the soup ended up being ridiculously amazing, and my cousin’s wife (who was present at the meal) has been asking me for the recipe. So, for her and anyone else who wants to stick to our overall meal plan, here is my best guess for how to recreate my stellar soup.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash, chopped
- 1 turnip, chopped
- 1/2 white/golden onion, chopped
- 4 new potatoes, quartered
- 6 baby bella mushrooms, quartered
- 1//4 cup green beans, chopped
- 1 cup frozen kale
- 1 head garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 quart broth/water*
- splash white wine
- grated parmesan to top
*I only had about half a box of veggie bouillon on hand, so I added that and used water to cover the rest of the vegetables. I honestly think water works just as well as bouillon in any well-seasoned soup.
Again, I just threw whatever I had in a big pot and hoped for the best. The soup was great, but next time I might decide to leave out the mushrooms. Or to add tomato. Feel free to play with whatever you have on hand. The key ingredient in this soup is actually the fresh parsley–it made a huge difference in the flavor. And of course the wine. As my regular readers will know, I add wine to everything I cook. I guess it’s my good luck charm.
Directions
First, prepare the squash by roasting it at 450 degrees for about 40 minutes. At this point, the squash should be easy to remove from its skin, but not yet cooked all the way through. (Remember to save the seeds! Perfectly Cooked Pumpkin Seeds)
Next, set the potatoes to boil. Like squash, potatoes take quite awhile to cook through, so these extra steps make a difference in how quickly the soup is ready. Allow the potatoes to boil until they are just over halfway cooked (about 12 minutes) and remove from heat.
While the squash and potatoes are cooking, begin to prepare the rest of the vegetables. Once everything is chopped and ready to go, add the onion, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil to the bottom of a big pot. Sauté these ingredients together over medium heat until the onion begins to turn clear.
Next, add the mushrooms, turnip, beans, and potatoes, and continue to sauté for another 8 minutes or so.
By this time, the squash should be done roasting. Turn the heat to low and let the veggies continue to cook gently while you prepare the squash. Once the squash is ready, turn the heat back up to medium, add the squash, and continue to cook everything together for another 5 minutes.
At this point, all the veggies should be just about cooked through and steeped in herby goodness, so add the broth and water. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and stir in the kale. Continue to simmer for another 12 minutes.
Next, stir in the fresh parsley, and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or so.
The last step is to turn off the heat and stir in a splash of wine. Top with salt, pepper, and parmesan to taste.
The bright orange squash and dark green kale make this quite a pretty soup, and with all the garlic and vitamin-packed vegetables, it’s incredible healthy and perfect for warming up during winter. I’ll definitely add a picture next time I make this!
Living Through the Senses 