#3174 - Green Bean Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 lbs. fresh green beans
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TBSP cider vinegar (more if you want more vinegar flavor)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 large red onion (separated into rings, then cut each onion ring into 4 pieces)
2 containers cherry tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (more if you wish)

Wash the green beans--cut off the ends and discard. Snap/cut the remaining parts of the green beans into bite sized pieces. In a pot add the green beans and salt--cover with water, bring to a boil and cook 6-8 minutes or until green beans are tender but still crisp (do NOT overcook). Drain the green beans but do NOT rinse them. Dump the drained green beans into a Dutch oven filled with ice water and ice cubes--let them in the ice water for 2-3 minutes, then drain them again. Spread some paper towels out on your counter and spread the drained green beans on them to soak up any extra liquid. In a bowl add olive oil, cider vinegar, garlic powder, ground mustard and black pepper--stir to mix. In a glass serving bowl add the green beans and the red onion segments--drizzle the olive oil mixture over the green beans/onions and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours. When ready to serve, wash the cherry tomatoes and slice each tomato into halves or quarters. Remove green bean mixture from refrigerator--add the tomato pieces and shredded mozarella cheese--toss until mixed. Optional: if you want more liquid on the salad, double the olive oil mixture.