Pineapple and Green Bean Salad with Asian Sesame Dressing

It's happening, friends! Do you feel the weather shifting? All my fingers and toes are crossed for this being our last full week of winter weather here in Cleveland. I'm craving bright and crunchy salads, and I hope you are too!

This week we got green beans in our boxes and it inspired this salad! Pairing crisp green beans with sweet pineapple and a nutty sesame dressing is just what you'll be craving on these warmer days! Also, make extra of the dressing, I promise you'll want to drizzle it on everything!

Before we dive into the recipe, I want to share a restaurant kitchen secret for bright and snappy green beans. An ice bath! After you cook and drain your beans, you're going to want to add them right into a bowl of ice water. This immediate shock of cold to the warm green beans helps retain their bright vivid color, and keeps that crunchy bite we are after!

Pineapple and Green Bean Salad with Asian Sesame Dressing 2 bags of this week's Perfectly Imperfect green beans 1/2 of this week's pineapple 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 1 teaspoon honey 1 Tablespoon soy sauce 2 Tablespoons vinegar (I use rice wine vinegar) 2 Tablespoons sesame oil the juice of 1/2 a lime

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. While water is heating, trim both ends off of the green beans and add to boiling water, for 4 minutes until tender but still crisp when you take a bite! 2. Strain green beans and add them to a bowl of ice water until they are cool, about 3-5 minutes. Drain and dry on a towel. 3. Dice pineapple into small chunks. 4. Mix the rest of the ingredients to make the salad dressing. Pour dressing over pineapple and let marinate for 5-10 minutes. 5. Plate the salad, green beans first, and then spoon the dressing and pineapple mixture over the top. Garnish with any remaining sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve as a main veggie entree, or next to your favorite grilled chicken recipe!