Champaign, Ill. (WCIA)
Guest chef, Megan Mitchell, joins us with a delicious green bean salad and drink featuring peaches.
ABOUT CHEF MEGAN MITCHELL:
After attending culinary school at The Art Institute in Santa Monica, I spent a year as a pastry chef at the highly regarded JiRaffe restaurant in Santa Monica. During this time I also began working on the hit Food Network show Guy’s Big Bite.
Having loved the TV experience I went on to work with the Food Network again on three additional shows, Rachel vs Guy Celebrity Cook-off, Aarti’s Party & Giada at Home.
I also spent time with the Cooking Channel on Real Girls Kitchen with Haylie Duff, Tia Mowry at Home and Drop 5 Pounds as well as ABC on Food For Thought with Claire Thomas.
Recently I’ve hosted various cooking webisodes with Tastemade for brands such as Nordstrom, Stella Artois, Meijer, Kerrygold, Hefty, Starbucks, Pepsi and REI. I previously hosted Secrets of a Food Stylist on YouTube, Get Cookin’ on ABC Go and Grill Next Door on Yahoo! You can check it all out in the Shows section.
Mixed Sweet Pepper and Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
10 oz. green beans or snap peas
1 red bell pepper, 1/2-inch dice
1 yellow bell pepper, 1/2-inch dice
1 orange bell pepper, 1/2-inch dice
1/4 cup purple basil leaves, torn
1 tbsp. chopped oregano
1 tbsp. chopped mint
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 lemon
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tbsp. orange blossom honey
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 oz. feta or soft goat cheese
Whole basil leaves, for garnish
Whole oregano leaves, for garnish
Whole mint leaves, for garnish
Instructions
Wash and dry the green beans. Cut off the stem and end part, then slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl along with the red, yellow and orange bell peppers, basil, oregano, mint, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Toss together.
In a small bowl whisk together the juice from the lemon, EVOO, honey, and Dijon. Pour over the veggies and toss to coat. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper if needed.
Crumble in the feta or goat cheese and barely stir to combine, leaving the chunks as whole as possible.
Serve in a shallow bowl with whole basil, oregano, and mint leaves as garnish.
Peach and Mint Bourbon Smash
Ingredients
1/2 yellow peach, roughly chopped
2 sprigs mint, plus more for garnish
2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. maple syrup
1/4 cup ice
Instructions
To a cocktail shaker add the chopped peach and mint sprigs. Muddle with a muddler or a wooden spoon until broken down and the mint is fragrant, about 20 seconds.
Next, add in the bourbon, lemon juice, maple syrup, and ice. Secure the lid and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
Fill a short glass with ice and then pour in the cocktail through a fine mesh strainer so it catches the mint and peach pulp. Garnish with a mint sprig.
Learn more about Bonnie Plants HERE.
