Runner Bean Salad with Radicchio, Radish and Red Onion

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“R” is a letter like “C”…as far as my alphabetical blogging challenge goes, there were lots and lots of options to choose from…

I’ve been wanting to do something with my homegrown scarlet runner beans, though, and with the frosty weather upon us at this point here in upstate NY, it was definitely time. Adding them to this radicchio salad turned out to be a great recipe choice.

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Scarlet runner beans grow as an annual climbing vine. They have lovely red ornamental flowers that hummingbird and butterflies love. Growing scarlet runner beans isn’t hard- I planted mine in raised beds in soil amended with lots of organic matter and used these tomato cages from Gardener’s supply for them to climb on.

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After the flowers bloom, the bean pods grow. If you pick them when they are small, they can be eaten whole like string beans.

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I let most of mine get pretty big, though…

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… to use as shelling beans.

freshly shelled scarlet runner beans
freshly shelled scarlet runner beans

To make this salad, I first sautéed one cup of shelled scarlet runner beans in olive oil with some garlic and herbs. I used some minced parsley, as well as some fresh minced sage and thyme.

cooking scarlet runner beans with garlic and herbs
cooking scarlet runner beans with garlic and herbs

It only takes a few minutes for fresh shelling beans like this to cook. I added some salt and set them aside to add to the salad.

Radicchio Radish Salad with Scarlet Runner Beans

Ingredients:
1 head of romaine or red leaf lettuce, shredded and chopped
1/2 head of radicchio, shredded and chopped
4-8 radishes, diced small
1 cup cooked and cooled scarlet runner beans with garlic and herbs
1/8 cup diced red onion
crumbled goat cheese- optional
2-3 Tb. olive oil
1-2 Tb. fresh lemon juice
Himalayan or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serves 2-4.

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If you like, you can use another type of shelling beans (or greens) in this salad and you could add some fresh or dried fruit, such as diced apples or pears, or dried cranberries. You can also add additional chopped veggies such as cucumber, avocado, or anything else that you like!

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