Green Bean Salad with Corn, Basil & Black Olives (and chicken too)

Today was one of those days where I just really wanted something fresh and easy to make. I have recently discovered the wonders of fresh vegetables... yes, as a grown adult. Sadly, I have a feeling that its not that strange of a concept. In my life, I have always thought of veggies came straight from the can, in their squishy goodness. Thankfully I have a great husband that happens to love fresh veggies and has steered me to the light side.

So I found a recipe from Eatingwell (one of my fav sources of veggie recipes) and decided to give it a whirl.

Ingredients
serves 8 or 4 very hungry people :)

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
3 ears corn, husked
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup sliced black olives
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco, to taste (I actually used a little bit of chili sauce)
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Fill another large pot half full with ice water. Blanch about half the green beans in the boiling water just until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into the ice water. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining beans. 2. Return the water to a boil. Add corn and blanch until tender but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water. Cut the kernels off the cobs. 3. Add the corn to the beans in the bowl. Add bell pepper, onion, olives, basil, oil, vinegar, lemon juice and garlic; toss to mix well. Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Because I am one of those people that need meat with their meal, I decided to take some chicken and add one of the best rubs I have ever purchased, Rub with Love. I got it from central Market a while back with one of their Foodie Freebies, and love it. Its the chicken version with Brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, ancho, black pepper, turmeric, coriander, garlic, cinnamon and star anise.

Just rub the chicken, sear it on each side for a few minutes, until brown and pop into the oven for 15 min or until juices run clear. Easy and simple enough not to steal the show from the salad :)

Add garlic bread and all is well with the world.