Spring Bean Salad with Minty Pesto

Vibrant and fresh, this bean and mint salad is the perfect dish to prepare now that the sun has arrived with the arrival of spring. So much goodness in all that green, and by replacing our usual salad friend, cucumber, with radishes, we have increased the Vitamin C, Fibre, Potassium, and Folate componant of this dish. Plus they taste great. Combined with the sharp minty pesto and the creamy feta, this is a gorgeous spring salad.

Egg free and gluten free, with dairy free/vegan options

INGREDIENTS:

Pesto

• 1/4 cup unsalted almonds or cashews

• 2 cups packed mint leaves, thick, woody stems removed

• 1 cup packed flat leaf parsley leaves

• 1/3 cup hot water, not boiling

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tspns lemon juice

• 1 tspn lemon zest

• 1 small clove garlic, crushed

• 2 drops Spearmint essential oil (optional)

• 1/4 tspn salt

• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad

• 1/4 cup roasted almonds, crushed, or flaked almonds

• 180g green beans, ends chopped off

• 180g snow peas, halved diagonally

• 150g cups frozen peas

• 4 radishes, sliced thinly

• 1 tblspn olive oil

• 1 1/2 tblspns red wine vinegar

• 1/4 tspn salt

• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1/3 cup minty pesto

• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

• 60g crumbled feta, optional

METHOD:

Minty Pesto In a food processor, combine the nuts, mint, parsley, water, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, spearmint essential oil (optional), salt, and pepper. Pulse or puree until it's either finely chopped or beautifully creamy, it's up to you.

Salad

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the beans to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, then add the snow peas and frozen peas, and cooking for a further 2 minutes, until just cooked.

Drain vegetables into a colander and pour chilled water over them, rotating with your fingers for about a minute to stop them from cooking and to cool them down. Drain the vegetables and allow to dry completely.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans, snow peas, and peas, with the radishes, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and mint pesto.

Transfer to a bowl or a nice serving platter and sprinkle with the flaked or crushed almonds, feta, and mint leaves.

This can be enjoyed on any day of the week but with so much goodness packed in this dish it'll be perfect after a healing treatment or a reiki session to enhance your healing and wellbeing.

The Enchantress