Easy Three Bean Salad

 

Here's a perfect kick-off to summer recipe for you! It's healthy, filling, & delicious.

 For those of you with plenty of potluck picnics to attend, this is just the thing to bring. It can be eaten cold or at room temperature. No mayo or eggs to worry about spoiling in the heat.

It's also very easy to make & suits many allergies/dietary restrictions. It's vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, & dairy-free! What more could you want from a simple side dish? You can even make it a quick weeknight dinner by pairing it with a green salad and some hearty bread.

My mom made a lot of bean salad when I was growing up. She's the one who gave me this recipe, but I made a few tweaks. The main change was to take out the green beans. They aren't my favorite veggie, so while I do enjoy green beans in some ways (like grilled!), I don't like them in bean salad. However, if you are a green bean lover, feel free to add in about 1 cup of lightly steamed 1 inch pieces.



Easy Three Bean Salad
Serves 8-10

1.5 c cooked kidney beans (or 1 15 oz. can, rinsed & drained)
1.5 c cooked chickpeas (or 1 15 oz. can, rinsed & drained)
1.5 c frozen lima beans, thawed
1/2 of a yellow or white onion, minced finely
1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced finely
1/3 c sucanat or coconut sugar (or substitute with brown sugar)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 c apple cider vinegar

Mix together all three kinds of beans, onion, bell pepper, sucanat, salt, & pepper. Pour apple cider vinegar over mixture & stir until coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Note: This salad lasts quite awhile when covered & stored in the refrigerator. I like to make a batch to go with lunches & it's perfect for 2 people for at least a week.

Buckwheat Pesto Salad

This stuff is delicious! It's my first experience with using buckwheat in a savory dish & I'll definitely be using it more in the future. Cooked whole buckwheat groats have a consistancy similar to rice, with the slight chew, & it has a nuttier of flavor.

I first discovered buckwheat groats through another blog I read, Edible Perspective. Ashley introduced me to Buckwheat Bakes (like this Zucchini Bread Buckwheat Bake) as a breakfast item & I really like them! They're very filling & last me through the morning without hunger pains.

When I started making the bakes, I needed to purchase raw buckwheat groats. They were not available in our local stores, so I bought a multi-pack box from Amazon.com. That was best price I found & I knew I'd use them all! The basis for this recipe was on the back of the Bob's Red Mill bag.

Buckwheat is a fairly uncommon food to cook with. It's a little misleading, because while it has "wheat" in the name, it's actually not wheat at all. It's gluten-free, in fact! Even though it's used like a grain, it's actually a seed. It's also high in protein, manganese, magnesium & fiber. Lots of healthy goodness here!

We'll be enjoying this alongside leftovers or with a big salad. I hope you try it!

Buckwheat Pesto Salad
Adapted from Bob's Red Mill
Serves 6-8

1 c Buckwheat Groats
2-1/2 c water
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 Batch Parsley Walnut Pesto
4 cloves garlic
1/4 c fresh basil
1/2 c chopped Walnuts
1 c freshley grated Parmesan cheese

 

In a medium saucpan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add buckwheat groats, cover, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from stove and leave covered for 5 minutes. Remove lid & fluff with fork.

 

In the meantime, make your parsley walnut pesto. Clean out the food processor and pulse the garlic cloves a few times to chop. Add basil & pulse again until it is chopped and mixed with the garlic.

 

Mix olive oil, parsley pesto, and the garlic-basil together. Stir this into the cooked buckwheat groats. Add walnuts and parmesan cheese. Salt to taste, if needed. Serve warm, or refrigerate in a sealed container & serve cold. It's great both ways!

Peach, Walnut & Roasted Beet Salad

I'm going to be the master of the obvious here & tell you that it's been hot lately. Super hot. That means I'm less motivated to make heavy dinners & really into anything I don't have to actually cook.

Of course, I have turned the oven on a few times. I had to roast the beets for this salad, for example. But I made it worthwhile by making Hot Chocolate Cookies at the same time! It was a win-win situation. Then I stored the beets in the fridge so they were ready for me to put on salads throughout the week.

I was super excited to pull my beets. We thinned them a few weeks ago & I got just enough to have for one meal. Last weekend we pulled the rest (I was sweating like crazy out there!). There were 4 that had some surface damage, so I cleaned those right away & roasted the good parts.

I wasn't sure whether we'd just toss them on salads or if I'd do something special with them, but I came across a recipe on the Whole Foods site that was just begging to have them on it. We ate outside for the first time in weeks, happy to enjoy the fresh air & the crisp flavors.

I hope you're staying cool. We usually go for a nice bike ride on Saturday mornings, but this week we cut it short to 4 miles. It was too hot! We stopped at the producers-only farm market on the way home & got lettuce, peaches, corn on the cob, & zucchini. I can't wait to see what they have to offer next weekend!

Peach, Walnut & Roasted Beet Salad

Inspired & Adapted from Whole Foods

Serves 2 as the main course or 4 as side salads

Dressing:

1/4 c walnuts, toasted
1 large peach, chopped
2 T lime juice (or more to taste)

Salad:
1/2 head green leaf lettuce, washed & torn into pieces

1/2 head red leaf lettuce, washed & torn into pieces

1 peach, sliced
2 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 beets, roasted - follow these instructions, just use only red beets - can be done ahead of time

Blend dressing ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Divide lettuces evenly between bowls/plates. Top with remaining ingredients, divided evenly. Drizzle with dressing & serve immediately. Alternatively, serve with dressing on the side & allow each person to add their own, to taste. (We didn't use all of the dressing for our 2 salads. There was enough left for at least 1 more salad.)

Notes:

- Beets can be roasted a day or two before making the salad. Store in the refrigerator.

- Dressing will keep for about 4 days. You can make it ahead of time & store in the refrigerator. This is good to do if you like your dressing cold because if you make it fresh it will be warm or room temperature.

1/4 c walnuts, toasted

Red Cabbage & Pear Salad with Mango Dressing

I can hardly believe it's almost 2012! Every time I stop to think about it, I'm in shock. Really, it makes me feel old...3 years married, home-owning, closing in on the 5 year college reunion mark OLD.

But that's a good thing. I'm happy with what I've done so far in my life & I look forward to the upcoming years with anticipation of what's to come.

The surest way to make sure my hubby & I have a chance at enjoying a long life together is to feed us well. Incorporating lots of nutrient dense foods into our life will give us energy to handle whatever 2012 & beyond throws at us. I'm ready!

I'm not planning any big new year's resolutions. My main goal is to empty the freezer because it's in dire need of a defrosting. That might not sound too hard, but I have (happily!!) a major grocery shopping problem. So the hard part of emptying the freezer is that I have to stop buying more food. I'm aiming for a defrost in late March. We'll see...maybe by then I can put the contents outside to stay cold while it defrosts? 

This salad was inspired by a jar of Trader Joe's mango butter, a chunk of red cabbage, & some overly ripe pears that were sitting in my fridge. When I googled ways to combine red cabbage & pears, many of the recipes included sliced mango, giving me the idea to use that flavor in the dressing. If you don't have access to a Trader Joe's & can't find mango butter elsewhere, I'm sure you could use apple or pear butter in it's place & add mango slices.

Red Cabbage & Pear Salad with Mango Dressing
Serves 6-8

1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, grated
1/4 of a large red onion, sliced
1 pear, chopped
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T mango butter*
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Combine cabbage, carrot, onion, & pear in a large bowl. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, mango butter & sea salt. Pour dressing over the salad. Stir & allow to marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

*Feel free to substitute apple or pear butter if you can't find mango butter. If you still want the mango flavor, add a few slices to the salad.

Cranberry, Beet & Pear Salad

I'm in a festive mood! I'm so ready for the upcoming holidays & everything they include. I love all of the family & friend time, yummy foods, decorating, gift wrapping/giving, & general excitement!

As we go into the holidays, I'm trying to keep our dinners healthy, light, & full of nutrients. With the weather getting cooler, it's so tempting to cozy up by the fireplace in the evenings & become a lot less active. The chilly weather also makes people much more susceptible to diseases, so I want to make sure we're fueling our bodies with lots of healthy foods.

Our oven has been on almost every night. Something about this dreary weather makes me crave warm foods. I may or may not also want to use the oven because it warms up the kitchen. I always leave the door open after I turn it off to let all the heat into the room. :-)

You're looking at our entire beet crop. I planted 2 rows! :-( They just didn't get big. It took me forever to clean these because they were all about the size of a vitamin. There were only about 4 or 5 that made it to ping pong ball size. Still, they tasted the same! I'm thankful to have gotten any at all.

I love the way beets color everything around them. Cranberries do the same thing, so this made a really pretty medley. The onion wedges turned a pinkish purple after they were done baking. 

Maybe this looks more like Christmas than Thanksgiving...

The cranberries add a lightly tart flavor to the salad. Combined with the crunch of the hazelnuts & the sweetness of the beets & pears, this salad was warming & fresh at the same time.

Cranberry, Beet & Pear Salad

Yield: 2 main dish salads or 4 side salads

4 large beets

1 medium white onion

1/2 c fresh cranberries

1 T balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. black pepper

4-5 c lettuce mixture (romaine, red leaf, spinach, radicchio, etc.)

2 pears

1/3 c roasted hazelnuts

1/3 c Cranberry Dressing (see below)

Preheat oven to 400*F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Cut beets and onion into uniform wedges. In a medium bowl, combine beet wedges, balsamic vinegar, and pepper. Arrange on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once. Add onion wedges and cranberries, mixing with beets. Bake another 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.

In the meantime, divide lettuce between two (or four) bowls. Thinly slice pears and arrange on top. Once beet mixture is done roasting, divide between salads as desired. There may be some extra - this will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be reheated. Top salads with hazelnuts and Cranberry Dressing.

Note: If you don't feel like making the Cranberry Dressing, you can still make this salad! There are cranberry dressings available in some stores, or you could substitute either Raspberry Vinaigrette or Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Cranberry Dressing

Inspired by How Sweet Eats & Oh She Glows

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

1 c fresh cranberries

1/2 of a pear, roughly chopped

1/2 of an apple, roughly chopped

1/4 red onion, roughly chopped

1/2 jalapeno, chopped & seeded

1/4 c apple cider vinegar

2 T lime juice

3 T orange juice

2 T honey

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 T dried cilantro (or 1/4 c fresh cilantro)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine everything in a food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth. Taste & add more honey or salt if desired. Store remaining dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

A Fall Dinner Bowl

Is anyone else excited by the time change? I love that it's light out again when I wake up in the mornings! This morning I could see the roads when I was roller blading. That's refreshing, especially since I took a little spill last week while trying to glide through gravel-disguised-as-asphalt. Oops.

This chilly weather makes me crave warm foods & blankets. When I found this delicious recipe on EatingBirdFood.com for Kale & Sweet Potato Brown Rice Bowls, I knew I had to make it.

I used white beans instead of garbanzos, mainly because we've been eating lots of hummus lately & I thought we could use the nutrients of another bean. They went really well with the other flavors & textures.

Sorry for the dark pictures, but by the time I realized how seriously delicious this was, all natural light was gone. Believe me when I say this was one of the best dinners I've eaten in awhile. It wasn't really hard, either. Chop up some sweet potatoes & throw them in the oven to roast. Dump the rice in the rice cooker/pot on stove & let it cook. Easy!

It was warming & full of nutrition, perfect for a chilly fall evening.

On the side, we had Mama Pea's Bliss Salad. It paired perfectly with the meal! I subbed green bell pepper for the red, cashews for peanuts, & added apple chunks instead of green onions. I liked the hint of sweet that the apple lent to the salad.

I think you should try both of these recipes! They're easy to make & so delicious!!

Chocolate Avenue Grill

This is my last post about meals I ate to celebrate my birthday. I need to stop for 3 reasons:

1. My birthday was 8 days ago.

2. You're going to think all I do is eat huge amounts of food for every meal. (This may or may not be true...) :-)

3. I'm getting very full.

That said, I've been loving every minute of these celebrations. Last night, my in-laws took us to the Chocolate Avenue Grill. I'd been there once before for my bachelorette party dinner, & I remembered it being great. When I was still a Concierge, I'd recommend the place a lot & everyone came back pleased with their meal.

To start, I had the Strawberry Poppyseed Salad. I was a little skeptical about the dressing when I saw it, but once I tasted it I couldn't get enough. It was lightly sweet with poppyseeds & sesame seeds in it. The toasted almond slivers really complimented the juicy strawberries, too.

On the side, I had their fresh rolls. They were melt in your mouth delicious & I would go back just for more of them!

For my meal, I got the Mediterranean Risotto, described as "Fresh zucchini, asparagus, Roma tomatoes, red onions, black olives and basil folded into a creamy Parmesan risotto with a hint of lemon." The veggies were super fresh & the flavors blended very well. I was surprised by how much sauce was on it, as usually a risotto is creamy & thick, but it was still quite good. Bonus: It was a large serving, so I have leftovers for lunch!

I'm a member of their e-club, so they sent me a free dessert coupon as a birthday treat. I should've had it boxed up, because I was beyond full already, but of course I didn't. :-)

Their pastry chef came out & visited us - she knew my in-laws from church. She recommended the housemade Peanut Butter Melt Away Pie. I usually don't order pb pie because I'm often disappointed & it doesn't sit well in my stomach (not sure why not, this only happens with pb pie), but I tried it. It was a little different than usual, with a brownie crust & ganache topping. I liked the added chocolate!

Thanks for a wonderful birthday dinner, Mom & Dad K.!

Birthday Dinner

A few notes & a cupcake recipe from my birthday:

1. Tuesday night was spent prepping cupcakes to bring to work. I finished this messy task at 10:15pm by splitting a giant-leftover batter-not quite baked through-chocolate chip cupcake topped with a whole lot of icing with the Bup. Yum!

2. It rained on my birthday. All. Day. Long. I went roller blading anyway & barely got wet. I'll show that rain!

3. The Bup left me notes on star shaped Post-Its. My favorite was on the door heading to the garage: "Wait! You forgot your halo!" O:-)

4. All 24 cupcakes disappeared before 5pm. Most were gone before noon. Guess my co-workers like cupcakes! (see below for recipe)

5. We had Zesty Wheat Berry-Black Bean Chili, salad, and bread for dinner, prepared by the Bup. The secret's out, my love, now I know just how well you can cook!

6. After dinner, it was still raining. We went for a walk anyway & got soaked. I think the rain showed us this time.

7. Avocados were on sale for $1, so we made a trip to the store.

8. While we were out, we got ice cream, the perfect birthday treat!

9. There was some pumpkin to puree. Now I have 5 1/2 cups of puree in the fridge to eat! YES!

10. We saw Tangled for the first time & LOVED it. I think the Disney movies have been going downhill since all the Princess classics, but this one was excellent!

11. After all this cake & ice cream, I think I need to go back to green veggies & smoothies for awhile. I even found a great post for a great assortment of go-to healthy foods!

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes adapted from Can You Stay for Dinner? 

Makes 24 cupcakes

3 c white whole wheat flour

1 ½ c granulated sugar

1 T + 1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

8 T unsalted butter, melted

1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

4 T ground flax seed OR 4 T chia seeds, mixed with 3/4 c water* - let set for a few minutes before using

1 T + 1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 c mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line two 12 cup standard sized cupcake tin with paper liners.

Using an electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add melted butter, applesauce, sour cream, flax/chia eggs, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and continue to mix until no lumps remain. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Evenly divide the batter among the cups in your prepared pan. Bake until cupcake tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan carefully and let them cool on a wire rack.

*Note: You can use 4 large eggs instead, but then you lose the health benefits of the flax/chia.

Peanut Butter Icing/Filling

1 T butter, room temperature

1/3 c natural peanut butter

3 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-4 T milk, or more if needed

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter & peanut butter. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, alternating with vanilla & milk, until you reach desired consistency. It should be spreadable, not runny.

Chocolate Icing

4 T butter

1/2 c cocoa powder

3 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-4 T milk, or more if needed

　

Using an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add cocoa powder & mix in. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, alternating with vanilla & milk, until you reach desired consistency. It should be spreadable, not runny.

To stuff the cupcakes

Note: You will probably have leftover icing. I had about 1 cup of peanut butter icing left over. You can freeze it to use at another time. Or eat it with a spoon. Your choice, I won't judge! :-)
: Fill a pastry bag with peanut butter icing. Stick the tip into the middle of the top of the cupcake and gently push down. Squeeze out icing as you pull up until you see it peak out the top. Then ice the cupcake with chocolate icing either with the icing bag or using a knife.

 

What I Ate Wednesday

I'm joining the party this week!   For breakfast:

 
Zucchini Bread Oatmeal - I made this last night from a recipe on OhSheGlows.com. It didn't taste exactly like zucchini bread but it was similar and I love having veggies in my breakfast but not tasting them! (Kinda like a Green Smoothie!) I added a peach & a spoonful of pb.  
Plus a mug of Pomegranate White Tea from my favorites store, Trader Joe's! For lunch:  Massaged kale salad w/ EVOO, balsalmic vinegar, garlic powder & s&p, plus carrots & chickpeas. On the side, a slice of homemade cinnamon raisin bread topped with peanut butter. For snacks:  

 Pineapple in the morning and a peach in the afternoon! For dinner:

 Guacamole & Bruschetta (by Mckensie & Dan, our fabulous hosts!), Kale chips (we brought these), & Yuengling Lager (from Charis).  Thanks for hosting us! You made my What I Ate Wednesday post so much more interesting!  

Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette

This is the ultimate salad dressing. The one we use almost daily. It gets requested by my grandparents and several friends, too.

My Grandma Rossetti always hand-dressed her salad. Literally. She'd add the ingredients and then stick her hands in there and mix. Personally, I don't want anyone questioning whether my hands were clean before I handled their lettuce and I don't like getting my hands greasy, so I use a spoon & fork. You can take your pick.

Dad tweaked Grandma's recipe a little, and then Mom tweaked his. She didn't change the flavor, just started using a measuring spoon, mostly to get him to use less ingredients. They were ending up with soggy lettuce and lots of leftover dressing in the bottom of the bowl. No one wants either of those!

The best part about this dressing is that you can measure the ingredients right on top of the lettuce & veggies and mix. No extra bowl necessary.

Added health bonus: vinegar has been known to be a great digestive aid and has a lot of health benefits. This dressing has plenty of vinegar. We always eat our salads after dinner and I really think it works! It's also light on the oil, so it is naturally "light." Olive oil is a healthy fat that helps the body absorb the nutrients from the vegetables.

Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette
For 1 large salad

1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
1/4 tsp salt
1 T extra virgin first press olive oil, organic
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 T red wine vinegar

Prepare salad. Sprinkle dry ingredients one at a time onto the salad. (Don't dump them in a little heap! Sprinkle!) Do the same with the wet ingredients. I usually use the salad spoon in lieu of a tablespoon, and it works fine. The main thing is to have the ratio correct and not to add too much liquid. You can always go back and add more if needed. Toss salad well, making sure you don't see any clumps of dry ingredients. Add more vinegar if it is too dry.

Note: It's best to wait until right before dinner is ready to dress the salad. This keeps it nice and crisp.

Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette

Cucumber Vinegar Salad

What is there to do when you just picked an overflowing basketful of cucumbers?

1. Make cucumber salad.

2. Slice and eat.

3. Stare at them in bewilderment.

4. Offer some to anyone who comes along.

5. Eat them with hummus.

6. Stick them in the fridge and hope someone else eats 1 or 2 while you're out. Just to make it less overwhelming.

We're doing all of the above. Especially because I know there are going to be a lot more.

Cucumber Vinegar Salad
Serves 8

4-6 small cucumbers
1 small white onion
1 c white vinegar
1-2 c water*
1 T olive oil
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Thinly slice the cucumbers into rounds and place in a 7 or 8 cup container. Cut the onion into quarter round slices, keeping the pieces about 1/4" thick. Pour vinegar over cucumbers. Add as much water as you need to submerge the cucumbers. Add sugar, salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Refrigerate until ready to eat, preferrably overnight. This gives the cucumbers a chance to marinate and the flavors to blend.

*The vinegar/water ratio is based on our love for vinegar. It was strong, so if you're not a huge fan of vinegar, use less and add more water. You can also add more sugar to take away some of the sting.

Cucumber Vinegar Salad

Screens & A Simple Lunch

Last weekend, we visited Ellicott City to help our aunt hang new screens on her enclosed deck. What a project!

I don't think any of us realized how long it would take. We were climbing ladders, pulling out staples, screwing and unscrewing the frames, dodging bumblebees, and cutting & stapling screens.

We violated all the rules for ladder use. We had it leaning precariously against bushes and he was straddling the top. We joked about it because although the directions warn against many things, leaning against bushes wasn't one of them!

At least I wasn't the one climbing ladders and crawling through bushes. I was the designated ladder holder instead.

I was also busy taking pictures, enjoying the flowers and sneezing!!

Connie made a yummy lunch for us.

We had hummus, an orzo salad, and white wine. The orzo salad was fresh and cool, perfect with the creamy hummus and crisp wine.

She got the hummus platter from Trader Joe's. (My favorite store!!) It had Roasted Red Pepper, Regular, Garlic, and Basil flavors. We ate it paired with pita chips, which had the perfect amount of sea saltiness.

Connie's Simple Orzo Salad

Serves 8

Connie's Note: Definitely one of those recipes that is not an exact science – ingredients can be added and subtracted and quantities modified.

My Note: If you don't like mushrooms, leave them out. If you want garlic, add it. Hate dill? Substitute chives. The sky is the limit!

1 lb. orzo

2 small zucchinis

12 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

3/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

juice of 2 lemons

2 T olive oil

salt

black pepper

Optional Garnishes:

6 artichoke hearts, quartered lengthwise

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed

Cook the orzo according to package directions and set aside to cool. Remove soft seeded center from zucchinis and chop into small pieces. If time allows, lightly salt and allow to drain for 20-30 minutes and then rinse.  Lightly saute the mushrooms in 1 tsp. olive oil, about 2 minutes. Toss everything together, mixing thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with artichoke hearts and mozzarella.

Orzo Salad