Green Bean salad with salsa dressing

It seems like forever since I was able to contribute to IHCC's. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, forever is a long time, but it's been a while. Now that we are at our summer home in Tok, and somewhat settled, I can get back to regular blogging (and cooking.)

To celebrate the summer solstice and the incredible amount of daylight the longest day of the year brings to Alaska, about 21 1/2 hours or so where we are - 24 hours in some places... we had a BBQ! If we were in Dawson City in the Yukon, or Nome right now, we'd be having a big party. They really get into the celebration of the longest day! 

To go with the buffalo burgers we had for our BBQ, we had potato salad and for the cooking club, Rick Bayless Green bean salad with red onion and salsa dressing. This salad is a quick and tasty side dish for any meal, especially great for BBQ's and picnics, I think, because the longer it sits the better and it also travels well.

Green Bean salad with red onion and Salsa dressing

From, Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

About 5 loosely packed cups green beans, tops and tails broken off or you can use precut if you are in a hurry 

For the salsa dressing:

3/4 cup vegetable oil, or olive oil

1/2 cup good quality bottled salsa (or homemade) preferably green tomato salsa - I think this really does taste best with salsa verde

2 Tbs fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

salt 

1 small red onion, thinly sliced, or diced

Blanche the green beans until they are tender crunchy. Rick says you can do this in the microwave, I did it on the stove.

While the green beans are cooling, combine the oil, salsa, and lime juice. I just mixed mine up, but you can blend the mixture to make it extra smooth. Mix in the salt and cilantro, season with salt to taste. Make sure you use enough salt, the quantity will vary depending on how salty your salsa is. Add the onion to the cooled beans and toss with the dressing. Sprinkle with additional cilantro if you'd like. And you are ready to serve! 

I put mine in the fridge until I was ready to eat it for the BBQ - but it tasted good either way, warm or cold.

Please mind the plates, I am camping after all!

By the way, for anyone who may not know this, I have to tell you, buffalo burgers are awesome. I'd take a buffalo burger over a beef one any day - if you haven't tried them, grab yourself some ground buffalo (which I might add, is getting easier to find by the day, but I know it's still difficult in some places) and whip some up. It's not gamey at all, it's good for you, and delicious. Almost makes me want to start raising Buffalo. But then I'd never be able to eat them, I'd name them all and they'd all live on the farm forever... so it wouldn't work out.

In other news, I have decided to join the world of twitter. I opened an account a while ago and then completely avoided it. Twitter freaks me out. But I was having a lot of fun reading other peoples tweets recently, like blog friends, chefs I really like (like Rick Bayless!) and I decided I should give it a try. I can't say I know what I'm doing, but I'm trying! It's actually kinda fun.

Happy longest day of the year to everyone! Eat, drink, and celebrate now, the days all get shorter from here! (oops, didn't mean to say out loud that and ruin the mood.)