Ingredients
DRESSING:
3 T orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
Salt and pepper
SALAD:
1 T olive oil1 red onion, chopped
8 oz. (about 1 c) string beans, trimmed and halved horizontally
Salt and pepper
1/2 c baby peas (can be frozen)
1/4 c hazelnuts
8 oz. strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1 (10-oz.) package pre-washed baby spinach
1/4 c blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
TO MAKE THE DRESSING: In a jar, combine the orange juice, vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Secure the lid to the jar. Shake, shake, shake! Make sure you re-shake, shake, shake at the last minute, right before dressing the salad. Like a Polaroid picture.
TO MAKE THE SALAD: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until sweating, about 2 minutes. Add the string beans, season with salt and pepper, and toss! Continue cooking for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the string beans are al dente. Add the peas and cook for another minute, until warmed through.
In a separate pan over medium heat, toast the hazelnutsfor about 1 minute, until fragrant. Be sure not to burn them (this can happen if you abandon the stove for what you’re sure will be a 30-second score check but turns out to be longer). Add them to the skillet with the sautéed veggies and mix until the nuts are coated.Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and too-us! Add the strawberries and too-us! Add the spinach and toss! Add the blue cheeseand too-us! I like to use tongs for all of this. Once everything is well coated, season to taste, adjust dressing level as desired, and serve!
Notes
WINE: Chardonnay PRODUCER: Domaine Serene REGION: Willamette Valley, OR
Technically I am an ABC (Anything But Chard) person. I want no part of a buttery or oaky white. I prefer my whites to smack me a bit. When I went wine tasting in Willamette I was embarrassed about digging their Chards. I was so intent on drowning in the Pinots that put Willamette on the map, it took me by surprise. The Chardonnay from Domaine Serene is made with very little new oak (in line with the region’s style) and is super crunchy. I’ll drink it with pride. Family-owned Domaine Serene (named after the winemaker’s daughter, Serene) has always been one of my favorite wineries (their Pinot Noirs are bomb diggity too!). The brightness of the Chardonnay plays well with the peas and has the acidity to cut through the sweetness of the strawberries.
OPP: Gran Moraine, Walter Scott, Evening Land
BAND: Alanis Morissette ALBUM: Jagged Little Pill YEAR/GENRE: (1995), Alt RockListen to this one with your Chardonnay, no black fly. Alanis surprised consumers with a move away from her previous dance pop into something far more alternative sounding. Lead single “You Oughta Know” features Dave Navarro on guitar and Flea on bass while also containing such lyrical gems for modern rock radio. I, for one, can’t go into a movie theater without hearing “an older version of me,” etc. She gets a little dark (death row, plane crashes) and dated. (Are smoking breaks still a thing?) Ironically, the album holds up and you’ll likely have one hand in your pocket and the other one catching a rogue pea
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
