Green Bean, Pecan, And Feta Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces crumbled good quality feta cheese
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
4 -5 drops good balsamic vinegar, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/8 teaspoon pepper, to taste

Preparation

Trim the ends (and strings, if you like) from the green beans, then snap or cut them into thirds.
Using a steamer basket in a pan, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until crisp-tender; plunge the cooked beans into cold water to stop the cooking process, then drain and pat dry.
Toss together the cooked green beans, sliced onion, feta, and pecans in a large bowl; cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive bowl to make the vinaigrette; chill for 1 hour.
Pour the vinaigrette over bean mixture, toss, and chill an additional 1 hour; toss again just before serving.
Makes 8 servings.
Notes: walnuts or pine nuts can be substituted for pecans, and dill may be substituted for basil if you prefer.
Tweaked and adapted from a recipe posted at Gail's Recipe Swap.