As ya’ll know, I love to cook…and I love to save $ by using what’s on hand, best when it comes from our Great Country Farms CSA or backyard bounty! Earlier this week I went a bit overboard with carrot greens and then zucchini noodles with arugula/kale/basil pesto.  Family was rolling their eyes, “Mom, we’re good…but we’re not crazy,” not huge fans.

But tonight I kept it simple with a green bean salad. Tossed in cherry tomatoes and olives – Maya’s FAVORITE, seasoned simply and voila, they’re back on board!

So what I’ve learned from my “adventures in waste-not cooking” this week…is K.I.S.S.  Keep it simple, sweetie.

We’ll be getting more green beans from our weekly CSA share and garden so I’m planning to replay this salad at a BBQ this weekend and I’ll add feta cheese, you’ll see that in the recipe below.

Green Bean Salad

• 2 lb green beans halved and blanched
• 1 lb halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 c halved kalamata olives
• 1/2 c cubed feta cheese
• 2 T olive oil
• 1T Mrs Dash seasoning
• 1T balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste.

Toss while beans are still warm and serve room temperature or refrigerate. If serving with cheese, add just before serving.