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A bowl of beans, greens and green and yellow zucchini ribbons with green pesto and orange citrus dressing in tiny cups on either side of the bowl to make up Pesto Beans Zucchini Salad with Citrusy dressing
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Pesto Green Bean Ribboned Zucchini Salad with Citrus Dressing

Pesto Green Bean Ribboned Zucchini Salad - an easy and tasty lunch with the basil pistachio nuts pesto and the lemony orange dressing adding flavour to the blanched beans, herbed and buttered zucchini ribbons and fresh salad greens
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Salad, Salad dressing
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Green Bean & Zucchini, Pesto Salad, Zucchini Ribbons
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 369kcal
Author: Sujata Shukla

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 2 tablespoons pesto any pesto of your choice. I used Basil Pista Pesto without any cheese in it
  • 2 cups green beans in 2" slices, blanched as per instructions below
  • 1 tablespoon butter omit for a vegan version and double the olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil
  • ¼ cup basil leaves
  • a few sprigs rosemary
  • ¼ cup Shallots sliced thin -about 4-5 shallots
  • 2 cups zucchini sliced into thin ribbons
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly powdered
  • a few mint leaves about 10, shredded
  • 2 cups lettuce shredded
  • 2 tablespoons Almonds or walnuts/ pista toasted and sliced

For the Citrus Salad Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons Fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly powdered
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions

To Make the Salad Dressing

  • Squeeze lemon juice and orange juice. Add 2 tablespoons of each along with salt and powdered black pepper and whisk them all together. Add the sesame oil or virgin olive oil gradually, whisking till the oils and juice are blended. Keep refrigerated till required.

Preparations for the Salad

  • Chose fresh, slim tender beans. Trim the top and tail and remove any strings on the sides. Slice into 2" pieces Slice the Zucchini into thin ribbons, retaining the peel. Shred each ribbon into 2-3 pieces. Slice the shallots thinly.
  • Toast almonds, walnuts or pistachio nuts for 2 minutes on a hot pan, stirring well. Remove from pan, slice into thin strips and keep ready as garnish for the salad.

To blanch Beans and sauce Zucchini for the salad

  • Blanch the Green beans: Boil a pan of water, add the slices of beans when the water is on a rolling boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. Remove, drain and immediately plunge into a basin of cold water (to stop the beans from cooking further and to retain the green colour) Remove in about 30 seconds. Drain and set aside till required.
  • Heat a pan and add the butter. When it melts, add the oil. Stir Stir and add the sliced shallots. Sauté till they are soft, about 2 minutes. Add the herbs (basil and rosemary) after shredding the same.
  • Add the zucchini ribbons, tossing them in the pan on high heat till soft (about 5 minutes) Add salt and pepper to taste and add the shredded mint, stir and quickly remove into a bowl so that the zucchini stop cooking further.

To Put the Pesto Bean Zucchini Salad together

  • Shred the the lettuce, wash and dry in a salad spinner or with kitchen towels. Place in a large bowl. Add zucchini and blanched green beans. Season lightly with salt as there is salt in the dressing. Add the pesto and toss it all together.
  • Just before serving, add salad dressing to each serving and garnish with toasted nuts.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 796mg | Potassium: 762mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2038IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 2mg