Green Bean Salad

I'm going to say this for the first time this year "It's too hot to cook!". Right when the temperature extremes change from freezing to hot, I go through a temporary cooking rut. I definitely feel like I have to change the way I am cooking, and spend less time sweating over the stove. I start making a lot of salads with different homemade dressings and grilled proteins. There is also the hot to cold factor that I look for. Dishes that are good hot when you first make them, and just as good the next day cold. This morning I made a green bean salad to have with dinner tonight, this way, when it comes time to cook dinner-BAM, side dish is done....and I will take the leftovers for work tomorrow. I adore the fresh chewy texture of green beans. I can't believe growing up I ever ate canned green beans. (Luckily, I ate green beans that were canned by my grandmother, and not the grocery store-but still). Growing up in the south vegetables are cooked to death, until they have that mushy, hardly need to chew it, salty taste. I added a bunch of my favorite salad toppings-nuts, red onion, fresh goat cheese, and added bacon to tempt my husband (that is how I got him to start eating collard greens after all).

Green Bean Salad (serves 4)
4-5 good handfuls of fresh green beans, ends trimmed*
2 slices of bacon, small diced (optional)**
1/2t sugar
1/2c chopped walnuts
1/2 red onion, small diced
1/3c red wine vinegar
2T bacon drippings
1/4c olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2c fresh goat cheese, crumbled
*You can use frozen green beans, just thaw them
**Bacon is completely optional, if you choose to leave it out, you may need to increase the amount of olive oil slightly.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add green beans. Cook for 4 minutes. They should be bright green and just tender. Drain and rinse with cold water and ice. Place in a large bowl, add onions and walnuts and set to the side. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped bacon and sprinkle with the sugar. Cook until the bacon is crispy. Strain the bacon, reserving 2T of the bacon drippings. Add bacon to the green beans. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, bacon drippings, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add to the green beans and toss to coat. Top with the goat cheese.