You won’t find me noshing contentedly on cashew cheese in this lifetime, and I’ve got nothing left to say about zucchini spaghetti. But a girl can come to appreciate the beauty of raw and simply prepared foods faster than you’d think when one of these arrives:
Happily, many mid-summer veggies need no more than a splash of unfiltered olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt (or not, if you’re feeling especially nudist) – or, if your ambition is running wild, maybe some toasted sesame oil and rice vinegar, finished with a few drops of soy sauce and fish sauce – to make perfect, two minute side dishes.
The question of protein need not be any more complicated. Here are two excellent, hearty bean salads that can be made with canned beans (use Goya if you’re supermarket shopping – they’re so much better than the alternatives). The first is an old favorite, the second a recent find. In either case, consider adding a few corn chips or some brown rice to the meal to complete the protein from the beans.
White Bean Salad with Green Olives
Adapted from Joy of Cooking. Serves 8.
Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 shallot, finely minced
1 small jar Spanish olives stuffed with pimento, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or parsley
1-2 cans or jars good quality tuna in olive oil, optional
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 clove of garlic, crushed and smashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt using the side of a chef’s knife
1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
Zest of 1 lemon, plus juice of half
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Method
1. In a medium bowl, combine the beans, celery, shallot, olives, herbs, and tuna.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, salt, paprika, and lemon juice and zest. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow stream.
3. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.
Indian-spiced Chickpea Salad with Yogurt and Herbs
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine. The recipe is by Jerry Traunfeld of The Herbfarm in Washington State.
Ingredients
2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 Tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
3/4 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
Zest of 1 lemon, plus juice of half
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Minced fresh hot pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2-3 Tablespoons chopped mint
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Method
1. Put the chickpeas into a large bowl.
2. In a small skillet, heat the peanut oil until shimmering. Add the mustard seeds, partially cover the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until the mustard seeds stop popping, less than 1 minute. Add the cumin and fennel seeds and cook until the mixture is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour the hot oil and spices over the chickpeas.
3. Stir in the yogurt, lemon zest and juice, sliced scallions, minced hot pepper, chopped cilantro and mint and salt. Serve at room temperature.
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oh, carolyn, that is one beautiful baby. congratulations!!
and the bean salads sound pretty good, too ;)
Ok. That’s a beautiful baby. Great recipes too, but can I just request more baby pics. Maybe I will check your Facebook.
Such a great shot of your family!!! :)
and mmmmm those Indian-spiced chickpeas sound fabulous.
What’s the story with unfiltered olive oil, because I have a funny feeling I’ve been in the dark on this one….
that white bean salad rocked my world. love, barack obama
ok, maybe barack obama did not leave a comment on your blog. but your sister thought the white bean salad was delicious.
[...] Years ago on this site I let you know that “you won’t find me noshing contentedly cashew cheese in this lifetime.” Despite our leaning further away from animal products over time and my even having taken a raw foods class where I learned to make cashew cheese, that’s still a true statement. Cashew cheese may be many things to many people, some of whom are no doubt more enlightened, better at inverted eagle pose, and less prone to bouts of moodiness and unexplained blogging hiatuses than I am. But though cashew cheese may be many things to many people, there’s one thing that cashew cheese most certainly is not. And that thing, of course, is cheese. [...]