I'm on a salad bender...

Well, at least on the blog. If you were to guess based on what I've posted this summer you'd think I'm eating nothing but salads and veggies these days. Sadly, you're not seeing the onion ring bender I've ACTUALLY been on. Yes, for better or worse, our summers seem to involve a lot of weekend nights spent on patios eating seafood, onion rings and drinking drinks with names that end in "-ita" and "-ini". But in blog land I'm full of healthful, flavorful salads. We'll see which land my ass decides to live in come fall.

But I have to say that this salad is a fantastic summer dish. I love dishes that combine all of your side dish requirements into one, with veggie and carb combined. This dish is fast and simple and a great compliment to anything you might want to throw on the grill - we had it with portabella burgers. mmmmm

I was inspired by this Warm Vegetable Salad recipe from Giada and was drooling at the idea of this salad from the moment I saw her make it on her show a while back. Hers has roasted red pepper in it, which I left out because we don't like roasted peppers. I wish I liked them, they look fantastic, but I knew after going to all the trouble of roasting them we wouldn't eat them. I also added some feta for more salty kick to accent the potatoes and beans. Totally fantastic, with a bright light taste with all that lemon. My adapted recipe is below.

Warm Vegetable Salad

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

1 1/2 pound assorted red and white new potatoes

3/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved

4 scallions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves (I used a combination of fresh thyme and oregano)

1 large lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3-4oz crumbled feta cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board. Add the green beans to the pot. Cook the green beans until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the green beans to a large bowl.

Slice the potatoes in half while still warm and combine them with the green beans in the large bowl. Add the scallions and garlic and toss to combine.

In a small bowl combine the oregano, lemon juice and zest. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the salt and pepper. Toss the warm vegetables with the herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

This is also great the next day served at room temperature. Would be great for picnics since there is no dairy to spoil and is good at multiple temperatures. If made the day before, squeeze a little more lemon and check if it needs more oil before serving.