Look out! It's one of my new favorite side dishes for summer, and this one is GREAT. 
Every year I try to think of new things to take to cookouts besides macaroni, potato salad, and the regular old standby's. There is NOTHING wrong with those, but I find that they're often doubled or even tripled at summer parties, and who wants to be fighting for attention with 2 other really good but nearly identical side dishes? Not me, that's who.
Enter, the balsamic marinade. My dad actually makes a version of this several times per year, and it's always hugely popular and NEVER duplicated. My version has chick peas for a little extra oomph, so you COULD make this a main dish if you were feeling super duper healthy. Over greens with some parm or feta it'd be a perfect lunch!
For the dressing, you'll need balsamic glaze, olive oil, garlic, and salt. If you don't have balsamic glaze just add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the dressing and use balsamic vinegar, but I really like having a glaze for the extra sweetness it provides. Then, in the salad we have garbanzo beans, mushrooms, green beans, and green onion. You could mix the veggies up any way you like, but I love this combo! 
First, fill a large pot with water and a bit of salt, and bring it to a boil while you prep the veggies. Just cut everything into bite-sized pieces!
Then, make the dressing. The balsamic glaze, oil, garlic, and salt go in a bowl, and everything gets whisked together to make a dressing. 
Now, when the water boils, add the mushrooms and green beans for just a minute - maybe 90 seconds at the most. We want the green beans to turn bright green but still be very crispy. Drain the veggies and shake them really well to dry them off. 
While the veggies are draining, thinly slice the scallion. 
To the dressing, add the cooked veggies and the garbanzo beans. 
And mix everything up! Taste the salad, and add a little salt or pepper if you think it needs it. 
Then, top everything with the scallions and we eat! This can be made several hours in advance or you can eat it right away; it's totally up to you. Either way, it's DELICIOUS. I love the texture from the garbanzos, and I wasn't kidding when I said that some cheese would be really good with this. Why not add some on top with the scallions? You should do that. 
Happy summering!
Balsamic Glazed Salad with Chick Peas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pint white mushrooms quartered
- ½ pound green beans trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 15 ounces canned garbanzo beans drained
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the veggies. In a large bowl, whisk the glaze, oil, salt, and garlic together until smooth.
- When the water boils, boil the mushrooms and green beans for 60 seconds, then drain very well.
- Add the garbanzos, mushrooms, and green beans to the dressing you already made. Toss together and let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving so the flavors can combine. This can also be made several hours in advance.
- Serve topped with the scallions. Enjoy!
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