Bloody Mary Green Bean Salad

Oh, Southern Living, you've done it again. You have presented me with a side dish I couldn't resist: Bloody Mary Green Bean Salad.

And believe it or not, the "Bloody Mary" part wasn't what drew me in. It was the fact that one of the ingredients was pickled okra. This southern-girl thing is in my gene pool pretty deep. I LOVE me some okra, in all forms and fashions. Fried okra by my mama is my favorite (hers is the BEST), but pickled okra is a close runner-up.

And so that's how I decided on our side dish for tonight. This recipe was found in the Thanksgiving Cookbook issue, and I can see how this would be AMAZING at Thanksgiving. I've already told you about my need for something acidic and tart to cut through the bland and creamy dressing, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese at most Thanksgiving Day tables. This salad would be an excellent addition for that very reason.

B really loved this - he said it was exactly what he needed tonight, something fresh and bright and crisp. The Bloody Mary mix gave the homemade dressing a fantastic zing, and the pickled okra just made me happy. We also realized that we could easily mix up this dressing for a regular, lettuce-based salad on one of our Tuesday Night Salad Nights. The vinaigrette really is fantastic.

All in all, Team Stevenson (minus Luna) highly recommends this recipe. Serve it at your Thanksgiving table and watch your guests' eyes pop. Trust us.

SL Bloody Mary Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb haricots verts
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
12 pickled okra pods, sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
4 ribs celery, sliced
1/4 cup fresh celery leaves
1/3 cup Bloody Mary mix (we added a little more for flavor)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Cook green beans in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, or until tender-crisp.
Drain, rinse, and submerge in ice water. Drain again and pat dry.
Place beans, okra, and onion in a large bowl.
Place tomatoes, celery and celery leaves in a separate bowl.
To make the dressing, whisk together Bloody Mary mix, next 5 ingredients, and 3 tablespoons of horseradish in a medium bowl.
Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until blended.
Toss the bean mixture with 1/4 cup of the dressing.
Add 1/2 teaspoon (we really just added about 1/4 teaspoon, or less) horseradish into 1/4 cup dressing, and mix with the tomato mixture.
Scoop tomato mixture over bean mixture.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Zing! Enjoy!