Tuscan Summer Salad

Ingredients

Dressing
¼ sherry vinegar (can substitute any vinegar that you like)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Italian herbs, crushed
½ cup oil, approximately use olive
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Salad
1 head romaine lettuce
1 head radicchio lettuce
4 ounces green beans, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces, blanched and cooled*
1 basket cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 can gigante white beans, drained and rinsed
½ small red onion, cut into slivers
½ cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 small Persian cucumbers, cut in half then into half moons
2 cups chopped cooked chicken, optional

Instructions

Put vinegar, garlic powder, shallots, mustard and herbs together in a bottle or medium bowl, whisk in enough oil to emulsify dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Add a little dressing and toss again, taste and add more dressing as necessary.

*Blanch and cool green beans: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile prepare an ice water bath, a large bowl filled with ice and water.

When the water boils add the green beans and a good amount of salt, boil for 3 minutes then plunge them into the ice water bath.