French bean salad with a vinaigrette dressing (125 calories)

Preparation Time:10 mins

Cooking Time:10 mins

Serves:2

Calories per serving:125.9

Ingredients

Fine Green Beans -250g

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 20ml

Mustard, Dijon -10g

Red Wine Vinegar -15g

Shallots, Raw (or red onion) -40g

Garlic, Raw -1 Clove/3g

Pepper, Black, Freshly Ground -1 Pinch/0.2g

Salt -pinch

Capers, in Brine -12g

Method

Peel and crush the garlic. Peel and very finely chop one medium shallot (red onion works well too).

Bring a pan of water to a fast boil, add your beans, put a lid on the pan, and cook for at least 4 to 5 minutes. Boiling the beans fast like this helps them to retain all their nutrients.

Meanwhile, put the mustard and vinegar into a jam jar or bowl and, while stirring, add the olive oil to make a good hot French dressing.

Season carefully with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add the finely chopped shallot, the capers if you’re using them and the garlic.

Remove one of the beans from the pan to check if it’s cooked. If it holds its shape but is also soft to the bite, it’s perfect. Drain in a colander.

Now, while the beans are steaming hot, this is the perfect moment to dress them – a hot bean will take on more of the wonderful dressing than a cold one. It is best to serve the beans warm, not cold, and certainly not at fridge temperature because the flavours will be muted and boring.

Serve as a salad in its own right, or as an accompaniment to a main meal.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)125.9

Carbohydrate (g) 5.6

Fat (g) 9.9

Fibre (g) 3.3

Fruit & Veg 2.0

Protein (g) 3.4