I love Thai food – the flavors of sweet, salty, savory, umami – it just hits all the right places with me. Whenever I find a new recipe, I generally have to try it out pretty quickly. This green bean salad was given to me by my mother in law, and it’s delicious! I’ve made a couple minor modifications to accommodate what I have and what I can’t eat (dairy in one of the ingredients), and I think you will be pleased with the outcome, too.

Put the following in a large bowl:

• 1 lb French green beans, steamed about 2 minutes until tender-crisp
• 1 medium mango, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in ice water, then drained
• 1/4 C roughly chopped cilantro

For the dressing, combine:

• 1 T fish sauce
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 1 t sesame oil
• 1 T agave
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
• 1 t finely minced lemongrass
• 1 t Sriracha or hot sauce

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir to combine. Let rest about 30 minutes before serving, to let the dressing do some magic. Sprinkle some chopped peanuts on top and you have a fantastic (and non-traditional) side dish to a barbeque party.