"Rainbow" Green Bean Salad

I had to throw the "rainbow" into the title in honor of Parshat Noach, but this truly is a colorful salad. See those purple things? Those are Asian green beans! Not only are they purple, they are four times the length of a regular green bean! I've mentioned before that we are lucky enough to have someone in our neighborhood grow organic vegetables for sale and we buy kale from her every week in the winter. Recently she publicized that she had delicious eggplant that was ready to be picked and I sent my husband on over to get some already having 3 dishes planned to make with them. Turns out the eggplants weren't ready but he came home with these long, beautifully purple strings that at first I thought were jump ropes for my daughter but apparently were Asian green beans. Turns out they taste pretty similar to green beans with a slightly more asparagus- y taste. I had planned on making a green bean salad anyway so these were the perfect addition, the vibrant purple color just added some great wow factor. Of course, if you aren't lucky enough to find these you can just use all green beans. Either way, this is an interesting and delicious way to eat your veggies. Enjoy!

1 pound green beans
1/2 pound Asian green beans (cut into fourths) (substitute yellow wax beans or just add more green beans if you cannot find the purple ones)
1 large mango, cubed
1 red pepper, diced
1/3 cup chopped Chinese pecans (or glazed pecans)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans. Cook for 2 minutes and immediately drain and place in ice water to retain the color of the beans and to stop them from cooking. Transfer to a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Dress and serve.

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Whisk all the ingredients together.