I love that my local grocery store has a little fresh olive bar in the produce section. I bought a handful of super green olives yesterday, and they may be the best I’ve ever had. They’ve also got roasted garlic cloves, marinated mushrooms (personal fave), and sometimes dolmas. I’m now slightly obsessed with that olive bar.
I’ve always loved olives, even the canned and jarred variety. Honestly, any marinated type of veggie I love. Sun-dried tomatoes…roasted red peppers…giardinera (spelling?). I know the sodium values can be through the roof, but all of those things typically live in my pantry to make different dishes with.
One thing I’ve never used: hearts of palm. I honestly don’t evrn know what they are, but I’ve seen them at the grocery stores many times. I decided to bite the bullet yesterday and buy a jar to make this salad with.
While chopping them up, I decided to taste test the hearts of palm. Verdict? They’re pretty tasty. I can’t really describe them…they’re soft like scallops, salty like olives, and the perfect addition to any salad.
This salad has all the jarred goods in it, along with the hearts of palm: kalamata olives and roasted red and yellow peppers. With the addition of feta cheese, and a herby viniagrette, you’ve got yourself the perfect summer salad.
Make sure you use fresh green beans, the canned version will really not work here. You need the crispness of a fresh green bean that’s just been barely boiled. I also ran the boiled green beans under cold water to help stop the cooking process. The fresh green beans add a cruch to an otherwise soft salad, and you really need that!
I used oregano and fresh basil for the dressing, but feel free to experiment with other fresh herbs. Basil and balsamic go so well together, there’s really no other good herb to replace it—but the oregano you could easily take out and sub with some Italian parsley or rosemary. As long as it tastes good to you, go for it!
Green Bean Salad with Hearts of Palm
Crisp fresh green beans, hearts of palm, olives and feta in a lemony, herby vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh green beans, ends snapped off, broken in half
- 1 1/2 cups sliced hearts of palm
- 1 cup kalamata olives
- 1 cup sliced roasted red & yellow peppers
- 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 TBS. balsamic vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh oregano
Directions
- Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain and run under cool water for a couple of minutes. Let cool.
- Make the dressing: whisk together balsamic vinegar, lemon, olive oi, basil and oregano.
- Toss green beans with hearts of palm, olives, peppers and feta in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over green bean salad and toss so everything is well coated. Serve cold.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain and run under cool water for a couple of minutes. Let cool.
Make the dressing: whisk together balsamic vinegar, lemon, olive oi, basil and oregano.
Toss green beans with hearts of palm, olives, peppers and feta in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over green bean salad and toss so everything is well coated. Serve cold.
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