Guess what? I got a new computer yesterday! After being frustrated at how long it took me to do things on my old computer (a 5 year old Macbook) I decided to bite the bullet and bought a new Macbook Pro. It’s light, fast and the screen looks absolutely amazing. For a girl that spends much of her time in front of the computer, this new machine is totally worth the investment. I also installed Abobe Lightroom for photo editing and started using MarsEdit instead of Ecto for blogging offline. Both are upgrades from the programs I was using before (I hope), but they take a little getting used to as well. Lots of changes going on over here!
In between downloading new programs and moving most of my files over last night, I prepped a little something to eat for dinner. Isaac picked up burgers from Ellwood’s (black bean patty for me and grass-fed cheeseburger for him) and I took care of the sides. We had a ton of fresh veggies from Isaac’s parents garden that were screaming to be used. I roasted some zucchini and squash and made a lovely side salad with green beans. Everything was so fresh and flavorful. It’s amazing how much better food tastes when it’s in-season, ripe and only travels 15 minutes to get to your kitchen.
I didn’t really know what I was going to make when I started snapping the green beans, however I found a tasty looking salad on the Whole Foods website and tweaked it a bit to make what you see below. It turned out to be quite delicious!
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This light green bean salad comes together super quickly and has a nice crunch to it from all the fresh vegetables. Perfect for bringing to your next summer potluck or cookout. Adapted from Three-Bean Salad with Gouda.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups steamed, cooled and chopped green beans (about 6 ounces raw)
- 1 large tomato, seeded and diced
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together agave nectar, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
- Add all remaining ingredients and toss. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend for at least 30 minutes.
- Taste before serving and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Have a lovely 3rd of July. I’m pumped because I’m off work the rest of the week and we’re headed to my aunt and uncle’s beach house for a little vacay. Woo-hoo! Do you have any big 4th of July plans?
I’m totally jealous of your new computer. I don’t have a laptop, but want one. So bad. My husband is anti-Mac, but I’d love to have the latest airbook. They are amazing! So light & fast. My husband’s stance is a Dell is 1/3 the price is nearly just as good. I do not agree.
Hope you have a great holiday with your fam. We’re just relaxing with lots of family visiting, pool parties, eating (lots of that!), fireworks, & a parade.
That bean salad looks wonderfully fresh, thanks for sharing!
Yum! I volunteered to bring 2 veggie side dishes to a party tomorrow and I have almost all of these ingredients! I think I will bring this, thanks for sharing!
Mmm I love green bean salads! Cant wait to try this!
l love green beans, this salad sounds so good! I wish I was off for a little vacation, I unfortunately only have the 4th off and then back to work! Enjoy your time off 🙂
Looks great! Love bean salads! Can’t beat fresh produce! 🙂
This salad looks absolutely delicious! I love green bean salads!
Congrats on the new computer! I upgraded recently too, as hubs purchased the new MPB with retina display so I inherited his MBP. I had been using my MB since 2009 which didn’t seem bad to me, but my ‘upgrade’ is much faster!
congrats on the new computer! i have a macbook air and i love it, but now every other laptop feels like a brick!
I’m so jealous of your new computer, my has been running so slow and its so dang heavy. I’m also jealous that you’re off work for the week, I’m sitting here counting down the hours. Looking forward to the fourth though, good weather, good food, and spending time with friends and family. Enjoy your week!
yay for the new computer! That salad looks so good!
Congrats on the new computer!! I have a mac and I haven’t found any good blogging software yet… any good suggestions??
That salad looks amazing!
I was using Ecto and just started using MarsEdit yesterday. I’m not sure which I like better yet.
That looks like a delicious summer salad. Have fun at the beach! I am going to my first Squirrel’s game tonight…supposedly they have great fireworks so I’m pretty excited. Happy 4th!
I made a green bean salad tonight too – YUM! 🙂 Mine was filled with roasted eggplant, onions, zucchini, asparagus, peppers, broccoli, spinach and of course green beans! Super yummy! Love veggies!