Recipe Makeover - Green Beans with Feta

This recipe for Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes, and Almonds was one I had marked in an issue of Southern Living Magazine and recently transferred to my recipe binder. Going through all those magazines was like discovering old friends. Hundreds of recipes I had marked to make and had since forgotten about are no longer lost. I can't wait to get started on them. I happened to make this recipe first because we needed a vegetable side dish and I had most of the ingredients already.

What I didn't have was goat cheese, but I surely had plenty of feta cheese so I decided I would do a substitute. We also have two yellow pear tomato plants so I used those for half of the tomatoes because I thought the dish would look nice with some extra color. Am I right?

This green bean recipe is a great way to dress up an ordinary vegetable side dish and a great different kind of salad to enjoy this summer. Perfect for a summer potluck. What's your favorite way to dress up vegetable side dishes for summer?

Green Beans with Feta, Tomatoes, and Almonds
adapted from Southern Living

1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 pounds haricots verts (tiny green beans), trimmed
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar*
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 pint yellow pear tomatoes, halved
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge beans into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.

Whisk together vinegar and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until blended and smooth. Add cherry and yellow pear tomatoes, shallots, garlic, and green beans; toss to coat.

Top green bean mixture with crumbled feta cheese and toasted almonds.

*White wine vinegar may be substituted.