Oh my gosh, you guys, I had so much fun putting this recipe together! I had never even seen purple beans before and I was so excited to get them from the farm. I wanted to spice it up so I thought Thai was the best way to go and then, of course, slipping some bacon in there just made it extra delicious!
This dressing is popping with flavours – lime, honey, Thai chilies and chili paste, garlic, ginger, and more. Toss the cilantro in there and you have a bean salad that is dancing on your taste buds.
This past Saturday was Customer Appreciation Day at Nicholyn Farm and, despite the drizzle of rain on and off, it was a great event. It was an opportunity to meet many of the unique suppliers to their store and I’m always amazed at the talented people who live locally. These are just a few of the folks who participated in the day.
I’ve used the delicious Temiskaming cheese from Thornloe Cheese on my appetizers with Rhubarb Chutney and do you remember your grandmother telling you that the milkman used to bring bottles to the door? And it had cream on top? Sheldon Creek Dairy supplies the farm with that milk and I can’t get enough!
It was great to see my friend, Paula there from SoupHerbSoups with the tastiest Broccoli & Cheddar soup I’ve ever had. The broccoli she uses is locally grown and everyone was raving about the flavours.
Melissa was grilling hot dogs for everyone and there were even some local musicians there to keep things lively!
And this is Fran from Not Yer Granny’s Granola. Isn’t that the best name?! I’ve exchanged emails and FB comments with Fran but this is the first time we’d had a chance to meet. She’s a ball of fire and we’re already planning a project together that will involve the farms and Paula and her fabulous soups! It’s all about local love and collaboration – can’t wait!
So back to this colourful deliciousness. Did you know that some of the purple beans actually turned green when I blanched them? That was a surprise. The trick to cooking beans is to cook them as little as possible using the smallest amount of water possible. I generally do them 4 minutes max on a gentle boil and put them in an ice bath for the same duration. This will stop the cooking process and keep them crispy.
If the prospect of using Thai chilies for your salad is too daunting, a little red pepper works fine. Don’t skimp on any of the other ingredients though as they all marry together to create a unique and complementary flavour for the beans. Just leave out the bacon and fish sauce if you’re wanting a vegetarian or vegan dish.
I also picked up some chicken and fresh raspberries at the farm. Hmmmm…raspberry glazed drumsticks might be up next! Cheers!
- 6-8 slices of bacon
- 1.5 – 2 pounds of green, yellow or purple beans
- handful of fresh coriander
- Dressing
- 2 tablespoons Thai & Ginger Chili Sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 Thai chilies, finely chopped (use red pepper if you don’t want spicy)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 shallots, chopped
- Cook bacon and rest on paper towel before cutting or tearing into bite sized pieces
- Wash and cut beans. Bring a shallow saucepan of water to a gentle boil. Add beans and cook for 3-4 minutes. Pour into colander to drain and immediately immerse in ice bath for 3 minutes to stop cooking process. Remove and dry.
- Combine dressing ingredients, mixing well. Combine beans, bacon and coriander with dressing, tossing gently. Serve immediately.
19 Comments
Bam's Kitchen
August 9, 2015 at 7:49 pmCool, so you have red beans there too. We have red long beans here like the ones I made for Ang Sarap’s guest post. Very similar taste of beans but look really fun in your salad. I love Thai flavours but believe it or not it is harder for me to find Thai sweet chili sauce than it is to buy the ingredients like lemon grass and keffir lime leaves… LOL Just gorgeous photography and love your food composition. Keep at it!!! Sharing and pinning, of course!
Bam’s Kitchen recently posted…Chinese Chicken Salad & Goji Berry Dressing
Robyn
August 10, 2015 at 6:33 amSo they’re called red instead of purple, Bobbi? Hmmm…I’m going to have to do some reading, lol. I must have missed your post when I took a week off 🙂
I love Thai flavours too and I have a feeling I’m going to be on a Thai kick for the next few weeks. Wow, so odd that you can’t get it easily there.
Photography as a bit of a challenge this time. Well..it always is, lol.
I LOVE your latest recipe – so refreshing and pretty! Thanks, Bobbi 🙂
Robyn recently posted…Spicy Thai Bean Salad with Bacon
Corina
August 10, 2015 at 2:54 amI’ve never had purple beans before but I love Thai food and this looks absolutely delicious!
Corina recently posted…Secret Recipe Club: Thai Cucumber Salad
Robyn
August 10, 2015 at 6:35 amHi Corina,
I just did some reading about why the purple turned green and it has something to do with the water-soluble pigment in the beans but they do look very cool if you can manage to keep a few purple, lol.
The dressing turned out beautifully! Thanks for the visit 🙂
Robyn recently posted…Spicy Thai Bean Salad with Bacon
Anita Rivera
August 10, 2015 at 5:09 amGood morning my dear and FUN friend! First of all, it is so fun to discover these local farms; we have been finding more and more of them as we venture out just a few miles further out east and yesterday, out west to find some of the loveliest farms for produce (and cute animals!) – there really is nothing like getting just-picked produce!
These beans, I can see and KNOW your excitement over them! THE TASTE must be outrageous. I LOVE BEANS and tonight, I have to make the French haricots verts that we get imported from France. This recipe looks and sounds wonderful! ENJOY (and your photos as always are fantastic!) Anita
Robyn
August 10, 2015 at 6:37 amAren’t they just the best, Anita? I come away with such a wonderful feeling when I have a basket of fresh picked produce and I don’t ever remember being so excited about beans! lol. Ohhh…beans from France? How did you get those? You have to share your secret!
Thanks for visiting, sweet friend. xoxo
Robyn recently posted…Spicy Thai Bean Salad with Bacon
cheri
August 11, 2015 at 10:11 pmHi Robyn, that farm sounds truly amazing, what a find. Love everything about this salad.
cheri recently posted…Fig-Maple Oatmeal Scones International Scones Week
Robyn
September 3, 2015 at 3:08 pmThanks so much, Cheri. It has really inspired me this summer.
Robyn recently posted…Cantaloupe and Raspberries with Blueberry Syrup and Ice Cream
Mindy
August 12, 2015 at 8:17 pmThis sounds amazing and looks the same! Just picked a bucket full of beans this morning – hmmm some for salad perhaps? Thanks for the inspiration : )
Mindy recently posted…My July
Robyn
September 3, 2015 at 3:09 pmYour garden sounds so perfect, Mindy. One day I want to have one just like yours!
Robyn recently posted…Cantaloupe and Raspberries with Blueberry Syrup and Ice Cream
trisha
August 14, 2015 at 3:33 pmthis three bean salad looks just divine! I am so glad I joined Jebbica’s World link up to day to find it. Thank you for sharing it with us. I’ve pinned it!
Chrissa - Physical Kitchness
August 15, 2015 at 2:52 pmHi there – found this post on the pieced pastimes Sat link party – glad I did! I love this! Green beans are my thing, but I run out of new, fresh ideas on how to prepare them. I’m definitely trying this. Thanks!
Chrissa – Physical Kitchness recently posted…Avoiding Waste & Saving Money on Produce
Jebbica
August 16, 2015 at 9:18 amAnother colorful dish! I just adore your site. Thanks so much for stopping by #FoodandFitnessFriday…I hope you come back again!
Jebbica recently posted…Food & Fitness Friday: 08-14-2015
Marlat
August 16, 2015 at 10:50 amHi Robyn,
Sounds so tasty and healthy. My husband would probably love this. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & twitted.
Marlat recently posted…Real Food Fridays #101 – Healthy, Organic Living
GiGi Eats
September 3, 2015 at 1:42 pmHow on earth did I miss this full blown AWESOME recipe!!
GiGi Eats recently posted…Taiwan Kitchen Takeover
Robyn
September 3, 2015 at 3:10 pmThanks, GiGi. I love your bean recipe, too. When I come to visit, we’re cooking bacon and beans! …and don’t forget salmon, lol.
Robyn recently posted…Cantaloupe and Raspberries with Blueberry Syrup and Ice Cream
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