Green Beans with a Maple-Tahini Dressing

Recipe By: Laura Sorkin

This salad is loosely based on a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi; just another example of a top-name chef using maple in everyday cooking. Fresh-cooked green beans are tossed with a grain, nuts, herbs, and a tahini-maple sauce. The resulting salad is earthy, with some crunch from the grain and nuts, all bathed in a lightly sweetened dressing. You can use any cooked grain, but I find that either bulgar wheat or quinoa give a nice contrast in texture to the tender beans. If you buy either in bulk and need some instructions on how to cook them, I made a note at the bottom of the recipe. This makes for a lovely side dish in a summer setting, though it is hearty enough as a vegetarian main.

 

Green Beans with a Maple-Tahini Dressing

Servings

2-4 people

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

5 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

¼ cup bulgar wheat or quinoa

¼ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

¼ cup parsley, mint, or both, chopped

4 Tbsp tahini

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice (more to taste)

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 tsp Runamok Sugarmaker’s Cut pure maple syrup or Ginger Infused Maple

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Put a pot of water large enough to hold the beans. Bring to a boil and add the beans. Cook for just a few minutes until the beans are tender. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop further cooking. Leave to drain and dry.

Cook your bulgar or quinoa according to the package directions and set aside to cool.*

In a medium bowl, gently mix together the green beans, bulgar or quinoa, nuts, and herbs. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the beans etc. with the dressing and serve cold or at room temperature.

To cook bulgar wheat, place the grain in a heat-proof bowl and pour 2x boiling water over it (example; if you have ¼ cup bulgar, use 1/2 cup water). Put a cover over the bowl and let sit for ½ hour. Drain and use.

To cook quinoa, first put the amount you are using in a fine strainer and rinse under cold water. Quinoa naturally has a bitter film coating the outside that is best to wash off. Put 2x the amount of water in a pot (ex. If you are cooking ¼ cup quinoa, use ½ cup water) and bring to a boil. Add your quinoa and reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for about 10 minutes or until tender.

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