A friend’s mom made this one time when I had dinner at their home. She walked out to the garden, then back to the kitchen, and this salad was on the table in 10 minutes. It’s a lovely way to use cherry tomatoes, bush beans, and basil, all of which are bountiful in the summer.

• 1/2 lb bush beans (green, purple, or yellow) ends snapped and snapped into bite sized pieces
• pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 small bunch of Italian basil, leaves removed and roughly chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbls of chopped onion or shallot
• 2 Tbls olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• a few cracks of black pepper

Add olive oil to skillet and heat until shimmering over medium heat. Add green beans and stir. Allow the beans to cook, until the purple beans started to turn green, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and onion and sauté with beans for 2-3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook until the tomatoes wilt, 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in the basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil and serve.