Farmer's Market Challenge: Green Beans

We had trouble deciding on this week's Farmer's Market Challenge food. We scored AMAZING items at the Baltimore's Farmer's Market this past Sunday and were excited cook all of them. A fav find? We picked up Dimitri Extra Virgin Olive Oil and had a chance to chat with founder Dimitri Giannakos. A real sweetheart! And he was great with Lila. She just loved his garlic olive oil (or dipping the bread in it, couldn't tell). Dimitri's oil products originate from their family olive farm in Greece, but Dimitri himself lives in Northeast Baltimore.

Although the oil is really quite amazing, we just couldn't imagine what an olive oil cooking challenge would look like...

The rest of our produce loot? We nabbed some fresh sugar melon (looks like watermelon, but is sweeter and yellow), just-picked corn, phenomenal tomatoes, white potatoes and green beans.

While we were debating which food item we should tackle, my sister-in-law sent me this fantastic recipe for Cooking Light's Green and Yellow Bean Salad with Chunky Tomato Dressing and Feta Cheese. Yeah. That solved it. Green Beans it is!

Of course, we didn't have Yellow Wax Beans or Feta Cheese. So I improvised, and came up with my own Mediterranean Style Green Bean Salad with Chunky Tomato Salsa.Used the Dimitri EVOO, too!

The verdict? Delicious. Bug-approved. Although she skirted around the tomato salsa a bit, she loved eating the green beans like french fries.

Pat ate his green veggies, too.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs. fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sliver of sliced butter
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  
• 1/2 tsp. celery salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or minced garlic)
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
  
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced basil
• 1/2 cup of crumbled Chevre
  

Directions:

• Fill a large pot with water. Add slab of butter and sea salt. Bring to boil.
  
  
• While you're waiting for the water to boil, combine tomatoes, celery salt, garlic powder, olive oil, basil and vinegar in a bowl.
  
  
• When water is rapidly boiling, add green beans. Cook about 5 minutes - - so that they are tender, but still firm.
  
  
• Divide green beans among plates. Add salsa. Top with Chevre.

Enjoy! And link up your fabulous green bean recipe here! (Remember, sharing is caring!)

(cool) tip: If you purchase Dimitri Olive Oil at the Baltimore's Farmer's Market ($10), you can bring the bottle back for an $8 refill! If you can't make it to the Baltimore Market, catch Dimitri at the 32nd Street Market, Museum of Industry's Market, or Bel Air Markets! Be sure to become their Facebook fan and check out this recent Dining@Large blog post about his EVOO!



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