The BEST EVER Green Beans

I thought we could start the blog with one of my all time favorite recipes, Summer Green Bean Salad.
I'm very fortunate to be married to a chef.  I struggle to make simple meals good with planning but he can create amazing things from what we have in the cupboard.  I'm not really into food but when he first made this salad I realized that food can be amazing.

Ingredients:

1 lbs of green beans 

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup raisins

½ cup grated cheese: My husband prefers Midnight Moon (aged goat gouda). If you don't like goat cheese, you can use Robusto (aged gouda) or even parmesan cheese.

black pepper to taste

Dressing:

1 bunch of dill

1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp of sour cream

1 cup oil grapeseed oil 

½ tsp salt

Directions:

Prep the beans by taking the stems off. 

Pour boiling water over the raisins to soften and plump, set aside. Drain the water before adding to the salad.

Toast the almonds in the oven at 375 until golden brown. Be careful not to burn them.  

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil (should taste like sea salt).  You want to use a large pot because you don't want the water to cool down.  Once you add the beans cover with a lid so that it will return to a rapid boil as soon as possible.  Once the pot is at a rapid boil it should take 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. You want the beans tender.  As soon as the beans are cooked, put them in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking further.  Leave them in the ice water until they are cold then drain them and put them in a bowl.

The dressing is simple, just combine all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. 

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Add more or less cheese to your personal taste. Enjoy.

-Ashley