-
White Bean and Avocado Salad
This is my idea of “fast food”. When I have a long, busy day and I am not getting home until late, I don’t crave take out, a drive thru or a restaurant – I want my home, my kitchen and my ingredients. I have been known to come home from a very busy day and whip together a full on pasta dish with fresh veggies and things I have in the pantry. This recipe is something I threw together randomly, last week after my Thursday night yoga class with things I had on hand and it was so good I went for it again this week. I don’t get home until almost 9pm on Thursdays, so after a long work day and a 90 minute yoga practice I want something light, tasty and quick.
Since avocados are in season right now, I have been buying a few every time I go to the market since I could eat them daily. The last time I made this salad I had some leftover dried great Northern beans that I had soaked for a soup I had made and they were even better than the canned beans I used this time. Unfortunately, for as much as I prefer dried beans over canned, they are just not as quick to prepare and therefore not ready on the drop of a dime. Any white bean will do for this recipe, great Northern, cannellini, navy or even lima beans.
This salad is light, refreshing, adequately filling and it has the perfect balance of crunch and creaminess. I had a small piece of toast on the side. This makes a great main course dish or a it can be substituted for your typical green salad.
White Bean and Avocado Salad
serves 2-4 (depending on how you are serving it)1 can of white beans (15.5 ounces) cannellini, great Northern, etc
1 avocado diced
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
4 or 5 green onions, chopped
juice from 1/2 lime
salt
fresh ground pepper
2 T olive oil
handful grape tomatoes, halvedDrain and rinse the beans. Place the beans, tomatoes, avocado, green onions and cilantro into a mixing bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and lime juice, season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently toss until combined. Don’t worry if the avocado starts to mash-up a bit, mine did this time as the avocado was very ripe, it still tastes delicious. Serve immediately as main dish or side dish. Refrigerate leftovers.
-
Spring Black & Mahogany Rice
When I made the decision to start this blog, I wanted to make sure that I was not only cooking and sharing my recipes that I have been making for years, but to also try new things and new recipes. I came across a wonderful site a few weeks ago, Fresh365, and quickly realized that I would definitely be trying out a lot of her recipes. The site features a collection of fresh, vegetarian recipes as well as beautiful photography.
When I read this recipe I couldn’t wait to make it. I had never had black rice before and I love rice and all of it’s varieties. I wasn’t able to find just plain black rice, but I found something called “Black Japonica” – a blend of Japanese short grain black rice and medium grain mahogany. Between a brand new grain and all of these delicious and beautiful in-season items, I knew that I couldn’t go wrong.
The asparagus was the best I have seen it yet at the market and my chives have been growing like crazy in the yard. The taste of the black and mahogany rice was nutty, mushroom-like and even a little bit sweet. That paired with the bright hints of orange, the crunch of the fresh herbs and pine nuts, made my mouth and mind just explode with thoughts of “fresh” and “spring”. This dish actually made me insanely excited for the upcoming months and for even more fresh vegetables and herbs. I am counting down the days till I can start my veggie and herb gardens again and that time can’t seem to come soon enough. For now delicious dishes like this, taking advantage of the in-season items I can get at the grocery store and at farmers markets, will definitely hold me over.
Spring Black & Mahogany Rice
Adapted from Fresh365
serves 414 oz extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, then cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 1/2 c fresh orange juice (I had 3 oranges and was only able to get 1 c of juice so that’s what I used)
1 T honey
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t salt
1 c Japanese black and mahogany rice
2 c water
4 T olive oil
20 stems asparagus, tough stems discarded, cut into 1” pieces
1 small bunch chives, finely chopped
1 c packed basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1/4 c pine nuts, toasted
1 T vinegar (I used red wine)
salt & pepper, to tasteCombine pressed tofu, orange juice, honey, garlic and salt in a large bowl. Gently toss to coat tofu. Let sit at least 15 minutes.
In a medium sauce pan, combine black rice and water, over high heat. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer, 40 minutes. Set aside. (I found that I needed to keep adding more water to my rice as it was just soaking it up)
In a large sauté pan, heat 2 T olive oil, over high heat. Add marinated tofu cubes, and cook 8-10 minutes, until golden brown, shaking pan often to avoid sticking. It was taking a bit for the tofu to start browning so I spooned out some of the marinade and allowed the tofu to brown up a bit then added it back in. Add asparagus, and cook 5 minutes, until tender (again shaking pan often).
In a large serving bowl, gently combine tofu and asparagus with rice. Add chives, basil and pine nuts. Drizzle with 2 T olive oil and vinegar. Gently toss and season to taste with salt, pepper and more olive oil, vinegar, citrus or honey, if desired.
