BEAN SALAD

During the summer months I like to try and keep the fridge stocked with salads and sides which can be pulled out at anytime. Dishes that can, with some crusty bread, become a nice lunchtime meal, or can be served alongside our BBQ'd food. Having them ready and waiting means that summer meals become easy and stress free.

One of my favourite salads, which I make time and time again is simple, but tasty and it will last for several days, is a bean salad. I vary the beans, depending on what I have in the pantry, and or, freezer. This week I made it with kidney beans as the main bean, I added sweetcorn, edamame beans and green beans. I always try and have a nice mix of colours. They say we eat first with our eyes.

Here is the basic recipe but of course you can vary the bean mixture and herbs, I am such a cilantro (coriander) lover, I would eat it in everything, but if this is not a favourite of yours then you could replace it with basil, mint or any other herb you fancy.


1 tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup sweetcorn kernels, tinned or defrosted
1/2 cup edemame beans & 1/2 cup green beans
2 spring onions finely chopped

3tbsp olive oil
juice 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
1 cup chopped cilantro (coriander)

Mix beans together making sure the are free of water. Add spring onion.
Make dressing by mixing together the rest of the ingredients. Check now for seasoning you may want another squeeze of lemon or a pinch more salt. When you have it to your taste pour over the beans and mix through.
Now put it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

SALAD DAYS AHEAD

Although it is still bitterly cold here in Minnesota and warm comfort foods are what helps get us through the long cold days, today I had the urge for a nice salad. For once the temperature was above freezing, just, but this was for the first time in a month! The sun was shining and it was easy to think spring is around the corner. It will be a couple of months before that happens, but I wasn't going to let this spoil my good mood.

Now to the salad. What would it be? I had some spinach in the fridge and some beets I had roasted a few days earlier. I would add a segmented orange, find some pecans which I was sure were lurking in the pantry, also I was pretty sure there was a goats cheese in the fridge. The only oranges I had were blood oranges but that was fine by me. So I now had all the makings of a beet and spinach salad. I collected all the ingredients, fortunately everything was there, and I put them all together. With a light red wine vinegar dressing lunch was ready in a few minutes. A tasty fast lunch which would fulfill my salad craving.

I love the flavour of the earthy beets and when combined with the sweetness of the orange, the crunch of the pecans and the soft cheese it makes a delightful combination of textures and flavours.


I have also made this salad with a warm goats cheese,which is really delicious. I breadcrumb rounds of cheese and saute them before putting them on the salad. The warm melting cheese is a nice contrast to the cool salad leaves.

I really enjoyed my lunch today and look forward to warmer days when salads will once again be a daily occurrence and I can put away the crock pot and casserole dishes for a while.


TO HAPPY SALAD DAYS AHEAD

QUICK and EASY HOT SALAD

Last night called for a light quickly prepared supper. I have been eating out quite a bit lately, my husband has been working out of town, which of course means food on the go, so we needed something light but non the less tasty. I had some chicken breasts in the fridge so I decided to go with them. Checked the salad drawer, mixed greens but not much else. I had some basil which I had picked earlier in the day, probably the last of my outdoor herbs for this year, so that could go in with the greens. I hadn't made a hot salad for a while. Now I was on track. A quick look through the pantry, I pulled out Rice Wine vinegar, Thai Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce(low sodium) and I knew with the addition of some garlic and a pinch of sugar I had the makings of a nice marinade. Now thinking Asian salad. The hard part is over and I start to prepare the marinade. While the chicken is bathing in the delicious Asian perfumed concoction I go to work, well I can't really call making a salad work. A red onion thinly sliced, some cherry tomatoes cut in half and I'm almost there. I know that when my husband arrives home it will take hardly anytime before I can put supper on the table. He's home.
Time to stir fry the chicken, it has been marinading for 10 mins. I heat up the wok, add 1 tablespoon peanut oil and when it is hot add the drained chicken, reserving the marinade. It takes about 4-5 mins until the chicken strips are cooked I now pour in the reserved marinade cook for another minute, this will act as a dressing for the salad. Chicken ready, salad prepared. I put the cooked chicken in with the salad, toss it around, put in into the bowls, pour over the marinade and scatter a few chopped peanuts over the top. How easy is this cooking game?
The recipe here is for 4 people

Jacqui's Stir Fried Asian Chicken Concoction:

3 chicken breasts cut into strips

2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic finely chopped
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup of chicken stock

3-4 cups salad greens
2 tablespoon chopped basil leaves
1/2 small red onion finely sliced
handful cherry tomatoes, halved

Toss all the salad ingredients together before cooking the chicken.

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Mix the ingredients together and add the chicken to the marinade for about 10-15mins.
Take chicken from the marinade, reserve the liquid, and stir fry the chicken in hot oil, I like to use peanut oil as I can get it really hot. It will take about 5 mins. Turn heat down to medium and add the reserved marinade, cook for another minute.

Put the chicken in with the salad and toss put onto a plate and pour over the hot marinade. I scattered a few tablespoons of chopped peanuts over the top.

How did it taste. Really good. Could become a regular to our menu. It would be a great dish for me to cook for myself when my husband is out of town and I can't be bothered cooking for one.

So nice to have Robin home and to sit down together and relax with a glass of wine and nice supper. Life is good.