Two Bean Salad

Summer is the time of backyard potlucks, people dropping in unexpectedly for weekend visits, and stinking hot temperatures. The following is my recipe for my go-to quick, easy, cheap and healthy Two Bean Salad. I love it as a side with multigrain tortillas and eggs for brunch! Take liberties with it--the salad gets better the more you tweak it to your taste.

Two Bean Salad
(serves 10 as a side; four if a main course salad)

The juice of one or two limes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp cumin (or more, to taste)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (to taste)
1-3 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt, pepper, healthy dash of red pepper flakes
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1 can black beans, drained--rinse if you're watching sodium
1 can small white beans, drained--rinse if you're watching sodium
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn (not thawed)

In a medium-large bowl, make the dressing, mixing all the ingredients from the lime juice to the cilantro. Mix well, adjust seasonings and vinegar levels to taste. Add remaining items, mix well. Let sit at least 30 minutes for flavors to develop. As the frozen corn will thaw as it sits, but will also keep the salad cool.

Pickled Cabbage Salad

One of my favorite restaurants, Cafe 15 in Oakland, serves a lovely fresh cabbage slaw with its oyster po'boys and pulled pork sandwiches. When my dinner menu went belly-up last night (I thought I had bought red lentils but it was yellow split peas), I scrambled for a replacement side dish.

What follows is a cross between Cafe 15 slaw and "Lahano Salata Kypriaki"--cabbage and pickled cucumber salad from The Foods of the Greek Islands.

Pickled Cabbage Salad

Four cups shredded cabbage (about 1/2 small cabbage)
Juice of two lemons
1/4 cup chopped dill pickle
One cup blanched, chopped carrot (clean the carrots and steam or boil for about two minutes, until just fork-tender, then coarsely chop)
Two cups chopped celery with leaves
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Two teaspoons olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together, adding more lemon juice if necessary. You can make this ahead--add the lemon juice & olive oil before serving.

Burning calories

It's been raining and stormy in Northern California this week, grounding my husband and I from our daily walks. It's been a convenient excuse to not exercise, and though I've done Jillian Michaels' 30-day Shred a number of the days, it just hasn't been the same.

Today I found a moment when the baby was asleep *and* the rain abated, so I threw on my heart-rate monitor watch and grabbed my hand weights and ran out the door. As I started up, my hip was sore and tight and my knee grumbled and I was tired. What was I doing? The baby was napping for another hour and I could use that time for something better--like reading my new books. Or figuring out what was for dinner. Or napping.

I pushed on. I thought about all the nice compliments I've received lately. I pictured my next goal--to hit 60 pounds lost. At the time when I normally turn up my street to head home, I kept going. I walked past the farm that's lush and green right now, and the hills past it were verdant and dappled in sunlight. Thinking about completing the Bay to Breakers, I kept going. Every time my heart rate dipped I reminded myself of the cocktail party I went to last night, where I ate and drank with abandon. By the end I logged 625 burned calories, and I was invigorated.

For the party I brought Cauliflower "Poppers" which are bite-sized pieces of cauliflower tossed with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and a touch of olive oil, then baked in the oven for 10 minutes. I *also* brought a fancy little appetizer that are super-easy to make. Amounts are flexible, depending on how many you want to make:

Caesar Salad Frico Bites

About 3 cups 4-cheese shredded Italian cheese mix--note: SHREDDED, not grated
1 to 1.5 shredded Parmesan or asiago cheese
Approx. 2 heads romaine lettuce
Garlic-herb croutons (you can make your own, but in the interest of time, you can certainly get store-bought)
Caesar dressing--again, make your own if you prefer, but I use Newman's Own Creamy Caesar dressing
Other materials: cookie sheet, non-stick aluminum foil, measuring cups, thin spatula

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cheeses together in a medium bowl. Line a cookie sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. Using a 1/8 measuring cup, put six rounded cupfuls of cheese on the foil. Gently tap down cheese. Cook for 7-8 minutes, watching for browning at the edges. When browned, use a thin spatula (like a fish spatula) to remove the cheese and insert it into 1/3 to 1/4 cup measuring cups. Be sure to get the cheese flat against the bottom so that your cups will sit properly. MOVE QUICKLY! If your cheese cools so that it isn't easily pliable, pop the tray into the oven for 30 seconds.

When the cheese has cooled in the measuring cups, remove to cool further on a rack. Use two cookie sheets to keep the process going.

Salad--crush the crutons by hand into a bowl (don't grind them in a food processor, it will pulverize them which you do not want). Chop the lettuce very fine and add to the crutons. Add enough dressing to season the salad, but you don't want it drippy. Season with crushed black pepper. There is probably enough salt in the cheese and crutons that you won't need to add more.

Spoon the salad into the cups and enjoy!

The cups can be made a day or two ahead of time.

Apple Salad

My parents came for a short visit last weekend. That prompted me to spend a week figuring out what to make for dinner. I knew one night we'd have Chinese food, as they live on a small island and never go out to dinner. Chinese food seems to be one of the few things my mom really misses since moving there nearly ten years ago. But for the other two nights, I didn't know what to do. I decided on my "angelic" sweet & sour pork for Sunday dinner and Apple Salad with sandwiches for Halloween night, after they arrived.

Apple Salad is a light and decadent way to celebrate Fall. The sweet and crisp honeycrisps are perfectly offset by the pungent, creamy cheese. And the glazed walnuts bring it all together.

Apple Salad
All amounts are approximate and should be adjusted to meet your taste and nutritional needs (ie., throw in more/less cheese and walnuts to make this more/less healthy)

8+ Cups Mixed salad greens--spring mix is great with this. You want the deep, dark lettuces, not the light iceberg/romaines.
1/4 to 1/2 Cup crumbled Roquefort
1/2 Cup glazed walnuts
2 Large or 3 medium Honey Crisp apples, cored and sliced thin
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Newman's own light Italian vinaigrette, just enough--the lettuce should not be dripping with dressing
Salt & pepper

Toss lettuce with salt & pepper. Toss apples with lemon juice. Combine all ingredients, then lightly toss salad with dressing. Serve immediately.

So little time

I haven't been blogging. I've been knitting, reading, swimming, writing, bike-riding, walking, playing with my kids, watching "The Closer", and so on. I haven't been cooking much either.

I'm looking for the ultimate Greek Salad. One from my youth, that I remember having after spending a day at the Acropolis. Crisp, cold iceberg. Red, ripe tomatoes. Salty, pungent feta. Warm, soft kalamata olives. Oregano, lemon juice, olive oil. Salt. Pepper. Was it really that simple?

Seasonal Eating

I'm trying to eat more seasonal foods. That means passing the Australian strawberries and going for oranges. Or skipping tomatoes and reaching for...winter squash. Even though none of my local farms are open, I'm assuming that if it's seasonal it's cheaper. And maybe fresher. And it's also a good way to open up to a lot of vegetables that I've written off in the past as wierd, boring or "why would I eat *that*?"

I tried a spaghetti squash, tossing it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. I found it to be odd, and certainly tasted nothing like spaghetti. I'd be willing to try it again with a different preparation. But it's the first time in YEARS that Juiceboy has left something on his plate because he didn't like it.

Before that we had a parsnip. Yes, one. I sliced it up and baked it with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and a few tablespoons of chicken broth. It was really a lot like apple pie filling. Hmmm. I wonder why? We all seemed to like it and I'll try it again, this time taking care to buy the smallest parsnips without a woody core, and dicing them in even cubes.

That same night (it was our Winter Solstice Feast), I made an apple & beet salad. Even though everything turned that bright red color, it was surprisingly yummy and Juiceboy had seconds--and previously he said he didn't like beets!

Apple & Beet Salad

Shrink wrapped, refrigerated beets (I get mine at Trader Joe's), diced
One Fuji apple, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup to one cup crumbled blue cheese
The juice of one orange
Salt to taste

Mix everything in a bowl. Let sit 15 minutes for flavors to blend, adjust seasonings to taste.

Apple Salad

Oh, I'm so tired. The baby is gianourmous--15 pounds at eight weeks. He wants to eat and be held constantly. The Bug needs extra help with school (the teachers all say, "He'd do so well if he just focused and did his work. He has so much potential.) Juiceboy wants grown-up attention after tending to the kids all day; it's hard work being a full-time parent! And October is my busiest month at work; I'll put in close to 55 hours this week.

When I cook I'm trying hard to focus on healthy, fast and cheap. Tonight I made panko breaded pork chops, sauted spinach, and apple salad for dinner. My favorite was the apple salad--it's basically a Waldorf Salad. It goes nicely with pork chops and is a quick and healthy autumn side.

Apple Salad

Two Granny Smith apples, cored and diced (peel left on)
One tablespoon fresh lime juice (toss with apples to prevent browning)
One cup raisins
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup light mayo

Mix all together. Some people like a little salt to bring out the sweetness of the apples. Let sit for 15 minutes for flavors to meld.

True Confessions: Bagged Salad

I have a confession to make. I've been buying pre-made bagged salads for the past month. It goes against everything I strive to achieve. It's cheap produce that's expensive simply because it's washed and put in a bagged "kit" for me. On sale, a bag costs about $3.50. For that much, couldn't I shred some fresh carrots, chop some romaine and red cabbage, throw in a handful of sugar snap peas, won ton strips, and ten dried cherries? Well, yes, probably. Dressing would be a problem (we all like the dressing in the Asian Supreme bag very much) but I'm sure I could work it out.

So why don't I go to the local farmstand and buy fresh and local? Why do I spend so much for salad that only has flavor because of the dressing?

Because of the convenience. Now, Deborah of Play with Food might argue with me about how convenient this food is. But I can honestly say that in the past three weeks, there's no way salad was going to be made by anyone unless it was super easy. Today I used the last of my bags--and with it made a promise to the local farmers that I'll be by this week.

Notice on my shopping list I *don't* have "Salad Bags"!

(If you do succumb to the lure of the bagged salad, forego the Salsa variety of the Fresh Express brand. We all thought it tasted quite odd--there was too much dressing, the tortilla strips seem almost meaty, and the dressing is too much like a thick thousand island sour cream.)

Steak Salad with Green Godess Dressing

We had leftover london broil in the fridge yesterday and I had seen a snippet of The Barefoot Contessa making a salad with Green Godess dressing. I thought, why not make a steak salad with Green Godess dressing? So I did, and oh boy, was it good. No pictures though--we ate it up too fast!

Steak Salad
Thinly sliced steak--like leftover London Broil
One to two heads butter lettuce, washed and dried
Two ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges
Steamed broccoli (I had it leftover)
Yukon gold potatoes, cut in quarters and roasted (again, I had leftovers)
Green Godess Dressing

Toss all the ingredients and serve immediately with crusty sourdough. I like the simplicity of the ingredients, but again, it was what I had in the fridge. What's in yours?

Green Godess Dressing
1 Cup Lowfat Mayo
3/4 Cup light/low fat sour cream
2-3 garlic cloves
3-5 scallions
Juice of one plump lemon
1.5 cups fresh basil
1 teaspoon (or to taste) anchovy paste
Freshly ground pepper

Mix everything in a food processor until smooth and blended. Adjust consistency as needed. This is great as a sandwich spread as well!

Pasta Primavera Salad

Juiceboy got all his favorite veggies this week...and forgot all about them. Last night I made a big pasta salad in celebration of spring. Cheese and salami can be omitted, but it's really tasty with them in!

Pasta Primavera Salad

One package penne or rotelli pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
3 ribs celery, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 large English or regular cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 to 1 cup shredded or julliened carrots
Asparagus, blanched and sliced to size of pasta
1/2 cup frozen petite peas, cooked and cooled
1 cup brocolli florets, cut into little pieces
(any other favorite veggies work here too, like red or green pepper)
1/2 cup shredded romano/parmesan cheese
Genoa salami, sliced (amount to your preference, but I used about 1/8 pound)

Dressing
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar to taste (I add it in little bits until it's at the tartness I like)
Fresh or dried basil
salt and pepper

Mix the dressing in a small jar or liquid measure, testing for flavor. I like mine garlicky and pretty strong on the vinegar. Put pasta in a large bowl and toss with dressing. When fully coated, add all other ingrediants, and toss. Let flavors mingle for about 30 minutes. Can be made ahead of time and refridgerated, but note that the vinegar will make pasta brownish and peas and asparagus will lose their lovely bright green hue.

Juiceboy Salad

Bon Vivant fka NoodleWhore wrote:

"Hi Fleagirl! I've tried on many occasions to post comments on your blog but I
keep getting error messages so that's why I'm writing via email.

Thanks
for stopping by my blog! I've enjoyed reading both your blogs. What do you put
in the yummy Juiceboy salad?

Good luck with your enchilada gravy (don't
forget the oregano). There is a restaurant right by me that I know makes their
own (it's fabulous!) but I suspect that most Mexican places here used the canned
stuff."

First things first:

Comments: I'm using the Beta version of Blogger, so maybe there's a problem with comments. I've switched to accept annoymous comments. Hey--can someone test for me please?

Thank YOU: I love traffic. I love email more. Keep it coming! And send us links to your great blogs so we know where to send other visitors to.

Juiceboy Salad
Saute two or three boneless, skinless, frozen chicken breast. Throw them frozen into the pan and fill the pan halfway with water and throw in two cubes of chicken bouillon. Cover with a lid and simmer until almost cooked.

Cut chicken into cubes. Reserve cooking liquid for another use, like good soup or enchilada gravy.

Clean skillet, add some butter, cook on high heat until browned, fragrant, and fully cooked. Season with salt & pepper.

Get a huge bowl and throw in: sliced cucumber, chopped celery, grated cheese, grated carrots, chopped hard boiled egg, chopped green pepper, green onion, a zillion fat-free crutons, chicken, and avocado.

Top with a creamy dressing.

This is an entree salad, and should feed at least six hungry people.

Waldorf Salad

Juiceboy has gone veggie on his annual summer-detox stint. I bought a trillion dollars worth of veggies and fruit yesterday and realized that I needed to use a bunch of it for dinner last night because it wouldn't all fit in the fridge!

Here's my version of the famous Waldorf Salad:
A bunch of organic spring mix (lettuce)
One bunch celery, chopped
Approximately 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
One apple, cored and chopped (I like Pink Ladies but any firm apple will do)
1/2 cup cashews
One big spoonful light mayo
1/4 cup Litehouse Pommegranate Raspberry Vinegarette

Toss it all together, adjusting the dressing to your taste. My family likes more mayo, I like more vinegarette. Either way, this salad was a big hit.

Juiceboy said "This salad rocks!" and The Bug said, "Mom, can you make this salad every Sunday?"It definitely was a great main course salad!