green bean & cherry tomato salad

I like salads. Of course, my favorite involve meat and french fries (you can take the boy out of Pittsburgh...), but I'm getting into exploring new and interesting definitions of "salad" (see last week, for example). This past Sunday, Dan and I tried a new salad - not that crazy, but definitely that delicoius - to much fanfare. Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 pound green beans
• 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 basil leave (give or take)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by boiling a pot of salted water and cooking the green beans until they're tender, 5-10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool (we stuck them in the fridge for 10 minutes).

Next, stem and halve the tomatoes. Toss them in a large bowl with the diced shallot, vinegar, olive oil and basil. Just before serving, add the green beans (we chopped them up a bit), salt and pepper to taste.

Super easy, super delicious (Dan had thirds).

Bon chappétit!