Another Recipe--Green Beans with Roasted-Onion Vinaigrette

In honor of Thanksgiving coming up NEXT WEEK (can you believe it?), I thought my recipe posting for this week should be something I make every year for the holiday.

I have a confession to make, first: I'm not a huge fan of the traditional green bean casserole. Canned green beans don't do anything for me. My green bean dish is a refreshing change from the usual green bean fare that seems to be universally served.

This is yet another Cooking Light recipe. Surprisingly, these beans are served chilled, which is a nice compliment to the other dishes that are yummily, piping hot.

Green Beans with Roasted-Onion Vinaigrette

2 red onions, peeled (about 1 pound)
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
2 pounds green beans, trimmed, steamed, and chilled

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut onions in half vertically. Drizzle the cut side of each onion half with 1/4 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle halves evenly with salt and pepper. Place one thyme sprig on 1 onion half; top with other half. Wrap in foil. Repeat procedure with the remaining thyme and onion halves. Bake the wrapped onions at 400 degrees fr 1 hour or until tender. Cool to room temperature. Discard thyme, and chop onions. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, dill, vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl.
3. Toss the beans with the vinaigrette. Yield: 8 servings.

Here's how I make it:
*I only use fresh thyme if I happen to be buying it for my turkey. Dried thyme works well.
*I use white wine vinegar. I'm not even sure I could fine champagne vinegar out here.
*I use dried dill; it works well.
*I'm not sure if my mustard is stone ground or not, but I use dried, ground yellow mustard. It tastes fine.

Seriously, though. This is a wonderful green bean recipe. It has a kick to it, but it's not spicy. It really does compliment the mild, creamy flavors of turkey, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes very well.

Okay, I'm drooling now. I can't wait to make this next week!