Green bean and white bean lunch salad

Ingredients

0 of 14 out on the counter

• 4 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in ½-inch pieces
• 1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• Water, for simmering the green beans (unsalted, drained off)

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Do not salt the water. Add the green beans, turn the heat down to a steady simmer and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until a bean bends without snapping but still has some snap when you bite it. The 5 to 6 minutes is our kitchen time: at 5,300 ft water boils near 203 °F and the beans take about a quarter longer at 5,300 ft (our kitchen practice: we extend CSU Extension's meat rule to this simmer), so go by the bite, not the clock.
2. 2Drain the beans in a colander and shake well. Spread them on a sheet pan for about 10 minutes, until the steam has left and they are cool to the touch (our kitchen time).
3. 3While they cool, toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes, shaking often, until they smell nutty and turn pale gold. Tip them onto a plate at once, because they keep browning in the hot pan.
4. 4In a large bowl whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, oregano, garlic powder, pepper and salt for 30 seconds. Stir in the red onion and let it sit for 10 minutes; the lemon softens its bite.
5. 5Add the cooled green beans to the bowl and fold them in. Then fold in the cannellini beans, tomatoes and parsley. Let the salad stand 10 minutes.
6. 6Fold in the almonds just before serving so they stay crisp. Divide among 4 lunch bowls, about 2 cups each. Eat within 2 hours at room temperature, or 1 hour above 90 °F; otherwise cover and refrigerate. Serve cool or at room temperature.