Grilled Green Bean Salad

Hola my compadres! Happy Monday! or shall I say boo Monday 'cuz that's what I am feeling like. The weekend was too short and the work week is always too long. I am aiming for a 4 day work week but some how feel that it will never happen. Ah, a girl can dream can't she? I wanted to offer up a healthy recipe for you. Actually it seems to me that the majority of the recipes I have posted are healthy but that is only because I am a fat ass and need to eat well when I eat at home. When I eat out all bets are off, like the mixed shrimp and oyster po' boy I got from Parish yesterday. OH and did I mention that I also polished off an almond croissant- surely the almonds make that pastry healthy right? Wait, what am I talking about; anything referred to as a pastry is bound to be fattening as hell. Oh well at least I stayed semi-healthy by eating a Trader Joes Pudge Fudge brownie last night. Well it would have been semi-healthy had I not eaten the other crap that I previously mentioned too. Jeez and I wonder why despite working out 3 to 4 times a week I can't lose weight. MMMHh I wonder?

This grilled green bean salad recipe is delicious and super easy. You will love it, I promise. That is of course, if you like green beans. Feel free to omit the bell peppers, but I promise even if you aren't a fan ( I am typically not) you will still like them in this dish. Add other veggies if you feel daring. Asparagus would be great in this dish. Also I used fresh bell peppers in the salad. I think using roasted red peppers (AKA: roasted red bell peppers) would also be the bee's knees. I love that expression. Good eats!!!

Grilled Green Bean Salad

-1 to 2 lbs of green beans, ( this is a rough estimate since I just bought a large bag), cut or break the ends off.

-1 sweet onion ( I prefer Vidalia), cut into 1 or 2 inch strips

-1 bell pepper ( go with your fave color), cut into 1 to 2 inch strips

-2 gloves of garlic, chopped ( you can omit this, I am just a garlic fiend)

-2 tbsp olive oil

-1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

-kosher salt and pepper to taste ( I always go kosher or sea salt, not a big fan of table salt unless it is to salt pasta water or I run out, which is very likely)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl then throw on either a grill pan on a grill ( you can make a "grill pan" by taking a sheet of aluminum foil and folding up the sides) with an open flame or on a tabletop grill/George Foreman type grill (apartment living leads me to the 2nd choice). Wait at least 4 to 5 minutes before flipping so that you can get some beautiful grill marks. I am an impatient one and always flip too early. Don't be like me! Cook the green bean salad for at least 10 minutes. You don't want the green beans getting soggy, you want them to have a bite to them and be crisp while still being warm and heated through. Cooking times may vary so please keep an eye out the first time you make this salad so that you won't overcook the beans.