I love fresh produce, and this time of year I make around 2-3 trips a week to my local farmer’s market. Paula Deen has a great salad recipe that gives me something delicious to make with some of that produce.

Paula Deen Summer Vegetable Salad

  • 2 cups fresh green beans
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2” long sticks
  • ½ red onion (thinly sliced)
  • ½ cup black olives, pits removed
  • 1 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes

For the marinade:

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. Place a steaming basket inside a large saucepan with 1” of water and bring to a low boil. Add green beans and carrot sticks to steaming basket. Cover and cook until beans and carrots are cooked through but still have a slight crunch. Remove from steaming basket and immediately immerse in the ice water bath until cool. Remove from water and pat dry.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients. Add green beans, carrots, onions, black olives, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.