Peachy Bean Cashew Salad

The Blooming Platter does it again with this amazing recipe. With the addition of a tasty protein, this simple salad transforms into a full meal, and in this case, a very light summery one. The slightly crunchy green beans, smoky tempeh, sweet juicy peaches, and crunchy cashews make for quite a texture and taste sensation.

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh green beans
2 fresh peaches, diced
1 ½ tsp. sesame oil
3 Tbs. soy sauce
coarse sea or kosher salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1-2 tsp. cano la oil
1 package tempeh (try Tofurky Smoky "Bacon")
½ cup lightly salted & roasted cashew halves and pieces

Directions:

Trim green beans and cut in half; steam for 5-7 minutes or until tender but still bright green.

Combine green beans and peaches in a medium non-reactive bowl.

In a separate bowl, make the dressing by whisking together remaining ingredients.

Pour dressing on the green bean mixture and toss gently; let mixture marinate while browning tempeh.

Pour canola oil into a large cast iron skillet and use a paper towel to distribute it evenly.

Heat the skillet over medium-high, cook tempeh strips a couple of minutes on each side or until they are lightly browned and heated through.

Remove tempeh to a cutting board and cut into bite size pieces; let cool enough that they won't fall apart and then gently incorporate the tempeh and cashews into the green bean and peach salad.

Serve immediately.