Summer Salad

Early summer brings so many fresh vegetables! Early green beans, along with peas and herbs, tossed with some sweet spinach makes for a remarkable mixture. Add an egg to mix in with the dressing, and you'll know that summer has arrived. This recipe is inspired by an herb salad in Cooking Light magazine, one of my go to places for meal inspiration. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
1/4 cup frozen or fresh green peas
1 cup water
1/2 cup haricots verts or green beans
1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. salad dressing (lemon or balsamic)
3 slices prosciutto
2 cups baby spinach
8 grape tomatoes
1 cup water
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 fresh eggs
pinch of salt
grind of pepper

Directions: Place the edamame and the peas in a microwave safe container and cook on high for 1 minutes. Stir and cook an additional minute. Bring one cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the haricots verts and cook for about three minutes, until crisp tender. Drain. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cut the prosciutto into pieces, then cook until crisp. Remove from the pan. Add 1 cup of water to the skillet, along with 1 tsp of cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Mix the salad while the water is coming to a boil. Mix the edamame and peas together with the green beans. Add the fresh herbs to the salad dressing, then pour the dressing over the bean and pea mixture. Mound the spinach on plates, top with prosciutto, tomatoes, and bean mixture. Mix together on the plate. Gently crack the eggs into the skillet and cook for about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to the yolk area of the eggs, cover and continue to simmer for an additional minute. Uncover and check to make sure the egg whites are cooked, and the yolk is still runny. Top each salad plate with an egg. I like to serve this with a side of toast. 

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Haricots verts are simply French style green beans. They are a little thinner than regular green beans, which means they cook more quickly. They also are more tender than regular green beans, and have a milder flavor. I've found that some people who don't like green beans will like haricots verts. That said, do use their French name! The name sounds as different as the taste!