I love goat cheese. I said it. Now it’s a published fact. And maybe some of you can agree.

Unfortunately, there was a time when the green bean was one of the only vegetables to appear on my dinner plate.  It was the same period of time when American cheese slices were the on-stock dairy treat and queso fresco was the only backup cheese. Blame it on a single-dad household, blame it on the Mexican heritage. We, as a relatively new American family, could not have known the dynamism of goat cheese. Hey, dad worked constantly  and without Mom in the picture, we did what we could.

In this kitchen, goat cheese crumbles fall onto leafy salads. It blends into pasta dishes like an exotic macaroni and cheese, which is exactly how 8 year-old-me would describe it. It also works its way into fruit salads, sandwiches and hors d’oeuvres. It’s our #1 draft pick (can you tell we’re in the midst of the NBA Finals? Go Thunder!) in the cheese section at Trader Joe’s! We LOVE it.

This combo is one that I picked up from Pam Anderson who had a similar combo with steamed potatoes.  This recipe requires only three ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste.

Of course you’ll want to rinse and chop off the ends of the green beans before you steam them. You can steam them in your rice cooker like I did, or put a metal strainer in a trusted stock pot with about an inch and a half of water, and boil covered for about 10-20 minutes. Check on them regularly. When they’re cooked, throw them into a mixing bowl with your quartered plum tomatoes (or cherry, or Roma, whatever you prefer). Mix in your goat cheese and season to taste. The goat cheese should melt and coat evenly.

The otherwise unassuming taste of green beans is enhanced by the tart flavor of the goat cheese. Tomatoes add an additional texture to the mix which overall culminates in an excellent side salad.

The beauty of this salad is that you can apply this combo to a great many ingredients. Give it a go with rigatoni instead of green beans. Try it in wheat spaghetti! The possibilities are endless.

Hope you enjoy this recipe inasmuch as I enjoyed eating it. Bon appetite!