Green Bean and Quinoa Summer Salad

Green Bean and Quinoa Summer Salad | Anecdotes and Apple CoresI know I shouldn’t complain (after all I grew up in Houston and attended graduate school in Austin) but it’s been hot in Colorado. Ninety degree days coupled with the intense mountain sun leaves me both sunburned and slightly lethargic. Although I’m sure the cloud cover and drizzle would get to me after a few months, I find myself craving the moisture of the Pacific Northwest. Our near perfect trip to Portland certainly doesn’t help alleviate the desire for a dreary day, a warm cup of coffee, and a good book.

Green Bean and Quinoa Summer Salad | Anecdotes and Apple Cores

But meals like this green bean and quinoa summer salad certainly do help on these hot, unending days. Ryan and I made this together on Saturday morning as Lucy scampered under our feet. The green beans were blanched to retain their crispness, sunflower seeds were toasted with fragrant spices, and a homemade vinaigrette complimented the feta cheese nicely. While this salad can certainly be enjoyed warm, I prefer it after it’s had time to chill and settle for a few hours. It would be perfect to make on a Sunday or Monday evening as it would hold up well throughout the week and serve as an ideal mid-day meal.

Green Bean and Quinoa Summer Salad | Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Green Bean and Quinoa Summer Salad

 

8 oz fresh green beans

1 cup quinoa

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 can chickpeas, rinsed

4 oz feta, crumbled

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

Juice from one lemon

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling water for three minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water. Meanwhile, prepare 1 cup of quinoa by combining with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer until water has evaporated (about 15 to 20 minutes).

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small skillet. Cook sunflower seeds, tossing often, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Make vinaigrette: toast coriander, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant. Let cool, then chop. Whisk together with oil, vinegar, and mustard in small bowl; season well with salt and pepper.

Toss green beans, barley, sunflower seeds, chickpeas, feta, dill, lemon juice, and vinaigrette in a large bowl. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

36 thoughts on “Green Bean and Quinoa Summer Salad

  1. marcie

    Green beans are so good right now, and this is such a great way to use them! I love the looks of this salad, Monet, and wish I had a big bowl! 🙂

  2. Pam

    Here’s hoping it cools down for you soon! It’s hot here one day and much cooler the next, which is good. The green bean salad sounds and looks delicious. Perfect for summer!

  3. SallyBR

    Love all about this salad, including the fresh dill, that for some reason I find that is a perfect match for green beans….

    I love salads that can sit in the fridge for a couple of days, so perfect for a light lunch….

  4. Medha @ Whisk & Shout

    I’m always that person who puts anything and everything in salad… and for some reason I’ve never tried green beans! This looks amazing, I cannot wait to try it out. I just had a quinoa salad for lunch yesterday that I added chickpeas, avocado, walnuts, edamame, and chia seeds to. 🙂

  5. Annie @thedabble

    Welcome back from Portland! It sounded and looked like an awesome trip. This quinoa salad has me swooning as it is exactly what I want for lunch right now. Perfect for summer!

  6. Kate

    I’m seeing such great salads lately. I especially like the use of quinoa in this. We’re using wheatberries in our salad tonight!

  7. Laura Dembowski

    Salads like this are some of my favorite dinners! I am not complaining about the heat at all – winter was just so terrible! Do you really like Portland? I’ve thought about moving there one day.

  8. Kelly

    This looks delicious! Love green beans and they sound wonderful with the quinoa – so fresh and perfect for summer!

  9. Sues

    I’ve been putting quinoa or farro in so many of my salads lately. This is such a fun way to jazz up green beans!

  10. Trisha

    I love fresh summer green beans and anything with feta and quinoa. This looks like the perfect thing to survive these sweltering summer days in North Carolina. I definitely know what you mean about the heat!

  11. Becky

    Monet,
    I love adding quinoa to salads with lots of veggies. I’ll have to try the fresh green beans in the salad, too, with the Feta cheese.

  12. Ashley

    I am so right there with you friend! The heat just makes me tired and bleh. It’s been so hot and humid here – I’m ready for a break!! haha

    This green bean salad sounds absolutely amazing – definitely trying this out soon!

  13. Lisa R

    Yes. It’s definitely hot here. And whoever convinced everybody to build houses in Colorado with no air conditioning was the WORST. Also, nice salad. I scarred my husband with some terrible quinoa when we were first married, but I might have to make him try this.

  14. Mary

    What a gorgeous recipe – full of wonderful flavors and ingredients – I think I could happily live of this! I”m such a fan of quinoa. Thanks for visiting my blog and I’m so happy to have found yours!
    mary

  15. Liz

    This combination of ingredients sounds delightful! And it’s exactly what I love to have in my fridge for weekday lunches! Pinned!

  16. Joanne

    Salads that can be eaten at room temperature or even COLD do so much to help during summer heat waves. Love the sound of this! So summer perfect!

  17. Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog

    This salad was amazing!!! So after ogling it on Instagram I had to try it, and I’m so glad I did, it’s absolutely perfect for summer! YUM, I’ll definitely be making it again, thanks for a fantastic recipe!

  18. Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life

    That looks so delicious! I love green beans and we have really just started using quinoa, so it’s nice to find recipes for it that look so tasty! Thank you for stopping by my blog the other day…I am thrilled to find yours as well!

  19. Ala

    Oh, Portland! You guys must have had perfect weather up there–my Oregon friends pine after it all the time (though personally, I still prefer this California semi-heat! No Oregon dreariness for me). Summer salads are the absolute best reason to look forward to the sunshine though. Chilled, please!

  20. Kelly @ hidden fruits and veggies

    I don’t know if Michigan has for some reason actually been tolerable this year or if I just have greater access/willingness to use air conditioning. But even if it’s not crazy hot, I can see myself craving this green bean salad, especially if chunks of feta are involved!

  21. Melissa

    As a Pacific Northwest Native I can tell you that the dreary days do get old. Today is a misty cloudy day. However, I can totally see your family living in Portland. We thought about moving there a few years ago. My sister in law was living there and we loved to visit.

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