So I bought a book on salads the other day (The book’s title is “Simple but Perfect Salads”), because it was on sale for 8 bucks and I couldn’t resist.  This recipe looked good right away, but I of course had to change it up.

The Goods:

– 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

– 1/2 shallot, finely sliced

– shredded Parmesan cheese (amount is dependent on your preference)

– 2 oz chopped walnuts, lightly toasted in a dry skillet

– 4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

– 1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

– a good pinch of salt

– 1 tablespoon honey

The method:

Cook the green beans in salted boiling water for around 3 minutes.  Drain under cold running water.

Put in a mixing bowl and add the shallot, walnuts, and a good sprinkle or two of parmesan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and honey.  Pour over the green beans.  Toss everything together to coat.

Dish out and top with more parmesan cheese, if desired.

This was actually a pretty surprisingly fantastic salad considering how simple it is.  Apparently it gets even better chilled for about half an hour, but if you do that you’ll want to leave out the nuts until right before you serve it.  Soggy nuts are kind of gross.

Goes will with something cheesy, since this is so light.  I would recommend a good grilled cheese sandwich, or maybe a slice of flatbread pizza.  I wouldn’t go any heavier than that though. =)