Homegrown Summer Bean & Herby Feta Salad

I'm not usually a salad lover. I like pasta, sandwiches, cake... But when my parents went away for two weeks and left Sarah and I to look after their vegetables in the garden we found ourselves picking the beans from my Dad's raised bed every day and Sarah came up with a seriously tasty summer green bean salad that I cannot get enough of. I couldn't wait to share it on here because it was that good and now I just want it to be bean season all year round!

There were three types of beans that we picked from my Dad's raised bed: green beans, broad beans (both pictured above) and sugar snap peas. The sugar snap peas are my favourite - sweet and crunchy and super yummy paired with the salty feta.

Pre-dinner drinks and nibbles. Sipsmith is like Pimms, but better. It's paler in colour - pinker, and it has a fresher, peachier flavour. Just tastes great, and the bottle is dead snazzy too. 

Sarah mixing up the cooked beans with some red onion and lettuce leaves.

Mmmm, just looking at that makes me want to make it again right now. That feta! My plate is looking a little empty and I'm not sure why?! Maybe I needed more salad ;) I definitely helped myself to seconds.

Recipe for Homegrown Summer Bean & Herby Feta Salad

Prep & cook time: about 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• Sugar snap peas, washed and trimmed
• Broad beans, washed and podded
• Green beans, washed and trimmed
• Fresh parsley, washed and finely chopped
• Spring onion, finely sliced
• Chives, wash and finely chopped
• Green leaves of your choice 
• Juice of half a lemon
• Few tablespoons of rapeseed oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Feta cheese cut into small squares.
  

I haven't put specific amounts because it really is done by eye. Just go with however much you think you'll eat - if you don't finish it you can put it in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch. 

Method:

1. Cook the beans in a little water for a few minutes - just until they're cooked but still have a slight crunch.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the rapeseed oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped chives and parsley. Coat the feta cheese in the dressing.
3. Add the beans, lettuce, spring onion and herby feta to a salad bowl and toss together. Add the remainder of the dressing to the salad.
4. Eat and enjoy!

You can obviously chop and change whatever you want with this salad but I think the main components - the feta, beans and the dressing - work really well together. Thanks to Sarah for coming up with this great summer dish. It's a keeper.

Do you have any favourite summer salads? Let me know in the comment box below. I'd love to hear from you!