More beans arrived on my doorstep this week.
I am so truly grateful.

I am blessed. I am.

You know what, blueberries are also still in season. AND, both basil and balsamic vinegar are always amazing…together.

With the rich, dark, and dirty purple color created from this vinaigrette/pesto of sorts, we really wanted to entitle this recipe “Dirty Beans.”
Proper judgment, however, and a strong suspicion that search engines may grasp the wrong sort of web traffic, won over and we went with yet another Ashley alliteration.

Burgundy Blue Basil Beans

1 1lb. fresh green beans
1/4 cup fresh purple basil, torn
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. minced shallot
1 tsp. stone ground mustard
1 tsp. raw honey
sea salt and pepper

Clean and trim the fresh beans, of course. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the beans for 3-5 minutes, until bright green. Immediately remove from heat and rinse with ice cold water or immerse in an ice bath to hamper any further cooking.
As the beans cool, combine the basil, berries, oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard, honey, and salt and pepper in a high speed blender. Puree until smooth.
Toss the vinaigrette and the beans together in a fancy-shcmany bowl for serving.

Maybe, just maybe even top with a little Maytag Blue.