Green Bean Salad & Pineapple Mango Smoothie

Green Bean and Tuna Salad

I was watching my favorite cook, Giada De Laurentiis, on the food network the other night. She made this amazing green bean salad that she said is very popular in Sicily. I found the recipe online and decided to make it last night. WOW! It was perfection :) I finished the meal with a pineapple mango smoothie. I am sharing the 2 recipes with you here and hope you love them as much as I do!

• 1 1/2 pounds slender green beans, trimmed, halved crosswise (I just cut off the ends and left them whole for more crunch)
  
• 3 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 2 large red potatoes, diced (or 3 smaller)
  
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
  
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I skipped the garlic and it still tasted yummy)
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (veggie works good)
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (or grape tomatoes)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (or 2 tablespoons dried basil flakes)
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (2 tablespoons dried parsley)
• 9 ounces canned tuna packed in oil, drained (1 can but next time I will use 2 cans for more chunk)
  

Directions

Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Using a mesh strainer, transfer the green beans to a large bowl of ice water to cool completely. Drain the green beans and pat dry with a towel.

Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the same cooking liquid and bring the liquid to a simmer. Add the potatoes to the simmering liquid and cook until they are just tender but still hold their shape, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to the ice water to cool completely. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with a towel.

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, garlic, oil, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the tomatoes, basil and parsley in a large serving bowl. Add the tuna and toss gently to combine. Add the green beans and potatoes and gently combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

Serves 3-4

Pineapple Mango Smoothie

1 whole mango
1/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups cubed ice

Peel mango and slice as much fruit as you can off of the pit and into a good blender.
Add sugar.
Pour the pineapple juice into the blender and set the speed to "grind".
While the fruit and juice is blending, add the ice, cube by cube, until you start to see the mixture thicken. Keep blending until smooth and enjoy!

Makes 4 cups

**Some people add yogart to their smoothie but for me it's optional.