Green Bean and Roasted Onion Salad

This was one of my first non-lettuce salad and a what an introduction to thinking outside the box! This is how we prepare the first fresh beans from the garden. The recipe looks way more complicated than it truly is!

1 cup olive oil

6 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2+ cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. Demerara sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk together the above ingredients and set aside.

1 1/2 lb. green beans

2 - 3 large red onions (yellow cooking onions work also)

2 tbsp. olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsp. Demerara sugar

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup feta cheese, cubed

Steam beans till tender crisp. Plunge into COLD water. Preheat oven to 400º F. Cut onions into wedges and separate. Sprinkle with oil, salt & pepper and 2 tbsp. sugar. Spread on cookie sheet and bake about 30 minutes; stirring occasionally. Watch closely toward the end as they tend to burn.

Toss beans, onions and dressing together and marinade 3 hours or overnight. Mix in feta cheese and pine nuts just prior to serving. YUM!