White Bean Salad Nicoise

(COOKING LIGHT)

ingredients

SALAD:
4 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 ounces trimmed arugula
1 (16ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (7 ounce) bag fresh baby spinach
DRESSING:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

directions

1
The dressing combines contrasting flavors: Dijon mustard, black pepper and garlic provide hot sensations, while lemon juice offers sour notes. Salty olives and bitter greens round out the tastes of this salad. Haricots verts—thin French green beans—work well here. If you can’t find them, use regular green beans.
2
1. To prepare salad, cook haricots verts in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge into ice water, and drain. Place the haricots verts in a large bowl. Add kalamata olives and the next 4 ingredients (kalamata olives through baby spinach), and toss gently to combine.
3
2. To prepare dressing, combine lemon juice, parsley, basil, mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over salad, and toss gently to coat. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 cups).

notes

CALORIES 86 (30% from fat); FAT 2.9g (sat 0.3g, mono 1.7g, poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 3.9g; CARB 12.1g; FIBER 4g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 2.3mg; SODIUM 338mg; CALC 94mg

Source: Joey Calegari