There was a time was I was the biggest potato lover ever. My sister was quite the opposite and would never eat potatoes, only plain white rice. So I ate plain potatoes while she ate her plain white buttered rice. Imagine my mom’s devastation, trying to get the two of us to add some vegetables. There was one vegetable that we would eat, however, and that was green beans. Whenever we visited my mom’s relatives during the end of summer, we’d help them pick their fresh green beens – an experience that I just remembered the other day when I prepared this simple green bean and potato salad. There’s something about the smell of fresh green beens, that makes me absolutely happy and content. I’m really glad I like them because I know that for many people, they are simply boring and plain. This salad, however, combines the two veggies that are made for each other – green beens and potatoes. Potatoes have been given a bad rep over the last couple of years, as they are mostly eaten as deep-fried french fries (crisps) or potato chips. The poor little potato has so many great health benefits though. They have amazing blood pressure regulating benefits. It also contains a great amount of the B-Vitamin B6, which is important for many body functions such as cell building, nervous system activity and cardiovascular protection.

Green beens are one of the best foods that support food sustainability because they are grown locally in so many countries – so no import needed for these beauties. Health wise, they are a great source of the mineral silicon, which is much less known than magnesium or calcium, but it is very important for bone health and the formation of connective tissue in our body. They have a great antioxidant content from vitamins such as vitamin C. The area that they really shine in though is phytonutrients like carotenoids and beta-carotene which have amazing health-supportive antioxidant properties.

The composition of green beans, potatoes and fresh herbs like thyme and parsley is so simple yet to delicious. The potatoes melt in your mouth while the green beens provide that nice crunchy element. It’s all topped with a naturally sweet orange-vinaigrette that rounds this dish up perfectly. 

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4:
– 1 pound small potatoes
– 1 pound green beans
– 1 red onion
– 1 handful of parsley
– a few strands fresh thyme

For the orange-dijon-vinaigrette:
– 4 tbsp olive oil
– 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
– the juice of 1/2 small orange
– 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
– 1 tsp dijon-mustard
– 1 tsp mustard seeds
– 1 tsp honey, maple syrup or agave if vegan
– 1 clove of garlic (optional)
– salt & pepper

METHOD:

1. Steam your potatoes until they are nicely soft. If you don’t have a steamer, then you need to boil them.
2. To boil the potatoes, place them in a large pot and cover them entirely with water. Bring to a boil and add a bit of salt. Boil them at medium heat for about 10 – 15 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Drain them, and let them cool.
3. Wash the green beans and cut off both ends.
4. Steam your green beans for about 10 minutes or boil them.
5. To boil your green beans, place them in a pot and cover them entirely with water. Bring to a boil and add a bit of salt. Boil them at medium heat for about 4 – 5 minutes. Drain the green beans, and rinse them with really cold water or, if you have ice-cubes at hand, place them into an ice-bath for a couple of seconds. Set aside.
6. Next, chop the red onion, parsley and remove the thyme leaves from the stem.
7. To make the dressing, roast the mustard seeds in a small saucepan (no oil needed!) for a few minutes until they start to smell. Be careful that they don’t burn.
8. To assemble the dressing, simply mix all ingredients together including the mustard seeds. Mince the garlic for the dressing, if you use it.
9. Cut the potatoes in halves, or bite-sized pieces if you have very large potatoes. Cut the beans in half.
10. To assemble, simply place the green beans, potatoes, freshly chopped herbs, red onion in a large salad bowl and add the vinaigrette on top.

Enjoy!

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This salad is a variation of my Oriental Chickpea Salad à la May. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really have to because it’s absolutely divine. I already mentioned last week that I wasn’t going to let asparagus season pass without adding a couple more recipes with the healthy vegetable to the blog.
Like I just mentioned, this is actually not really a new recipe, but I did change it up a little by adding avocado and asparagus to this healthy and delicious salad. As most recipes, this one happened when I had no idea what to do with my leftover asparagus from the day before. The salad only takes 15 minutes to prepare, and it only requires two fresh ingredients: asparagus and avocado.
The key ingredient in this salad is chickpeas which are my all time favorite plant-protein. Combined with the other amazing ingredients they form an incredibly delicious plant-based salad that I’m sure you’re going to love if you love asparagus. If you can’t get white asparagus where you live, then just try using the green one instead. I tried it and it tastes just as great.

Health Benefits in this oriental asparagus salad:
– iron (important for healthy red blood cells that transport oxygen through your body)
– lycopene (antioxidant that helps fight various diseases)
– manganese (for nerve health)
– protein (important for a healthy metabolism, immune systems, production of enzymes)
– vitamin C (good for your immune system, tissue health)

Ingredients:
– 500g asparagus
– 1 can of chickpeas
– 3 pre-cooked beets
– 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
– a good handful of fresh mint
– 1 avocado
– 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
– 1 tsp agave
– salt and pepper to taste

Start by pre-heating the oven to 200°C, then peel the asparagus. Then cut off about 1 cm of the ends, because these tend to taste pretty wood-like. Cut the remaining asparagus into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cm or 1 inch). In a large pot, heat up enough water to cover the asparagus entirely. Add a pint of salt and agave, and cook it for about 15-20 minutes.
In the mean time rinse the chickpeas well and place them into a large salad bowl. Cube the beets and add them to chickpeas. Next, add the chopped fresh mint and the tomatoes. Cut the avocado in half; remove the pit and scope out the flesh with a spoon. Cube the avocado and add it to the other ingredients.

Finally drain the asparagus and place it on top of the salad, add the apple cider vinegar, agave, salt and pepper and stir well. Serve with (gluten-free) bread as a main dish or use it as a side dish.

Enjoy!

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