Name: Cherry Tomato Green Bean Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: 4
Ingredients: ½ pound green beans, rinsed and trimmed; 1 shallot, peeled and chopped; 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar; 1 teaspoon mustard; ¼ cup olive oil; Pinch each of salt and pepper; ½ pound cherry tomatoes, cut in half; ½ cup basil leaves

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This speedy recipe for a cherry tomato green bean salad is not only healthy and delicious, it’s also full of summer colors!

I love love love this cheery summer salad. Not only is it ready in a jiffy, but it is like a bowl full of Christmas in July (okay, August!) what with the bright green beans and basil and the sweet colorful cherry tomatoes.

And it is so simple to throw together that it’s giving me time to take you on a tour of the latest exciting development concerning our Carolina Dream House…the installation of the closets!

Most of the closets in the house are your standard perfectly nice closets, but we decided to splurge on the two master bedroom closets and the kitchen pantry, and this past week the great folks at California Closets came and worked their magic!

First up, the closet in the Casita for me and the Southern husband! Can I just say those pull-out laundry hampers make me SO happy?

This is the first time in a long while that the Southern husband and I will be sharing a closet, but after seeing all the hanging space and shelves I think we are going to be just fine.

Next up, the pantry! We went for a lovely white wood in this one. And once again, those pull-out baskets have me feeling all kinds of happy. What is it about things that slide out that sparks such joy?

The middle of the pantry has some nice deep drawers and a counter for appliances, which will help free up counter space in the kitchen.

Lots of shelves, lots of hooks, lots of happiness!

But as much as I love the Casita closet and the pantry, I think the master bedroom closet in the main house wins the day.

I particularly love this full length mirror closet…

Which opens up into not only shelves but a nifty jewelry organizer!

The Southern husband seems pretty happy in here…I will need to break it to him that this is not his closet. Ha!

We are about a month away from moving our stuff into these fabulous closets, and I will do a repeat closet tour when that happens.

But in the meantime, let’s make some salad!

Here’s how you make cherry tomato green bean salad!

Start by getting your mitts on some nice fresh green beans, some cherry tomatoes and and a nice bunch of summer basil.

Snap the ends off the beans and pop them into a pot of salted boiling water until they are just done, about 2-3 minutes.

Drain them and pop them into an ice bath so they stop cooking, then drain them again and dry them with a dishtowel.

Now make the dressing: put the shallot, vinegar, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper into a little jar and shake shake shake.

Cut your cherry tomatoes into halves and chop up the basil.

Now put the beans, tomatoes and basil into a bowl. Drizzle on the dressing, tasting as you go until the salad is dressing to your liking.

And there you have it – the easiest, most delicious side dish of the summer!

I’m going to go back and look at those pull-out hampers one more time now. :)