go about it two ways

When I was a little girl, despite my melting under the torture, Mom would occasionally make baked bean sandwiches for lunch. I now confess to having secretly loved them. I was just fine with sweet baked beans between buttered wheat bread. You could not have it on toast because the bread would crumble and all the beans would fall out on the plate and floor. Bread was second best after toast in my opinion, but with enough butter it would do. (I have not had a baked bean sandwich for nearly two decades. This means that there is strong potential for them to fall into the nostalgic category, but I actually think I might still like them). Beans, especially bean salads, are friends of mine. They satisfy and can be rather pretty. Bean Salads top my charts because they keep well in the fridge, nearly make a complete meal on their own, have balanced textures, and are ready and waiting when you need a little something. Add a few recipes to your routine; they will not let you down.

shh. psst. come a little closer.
I know this topic should not grace the pages of a food blog, but hooey on the rules; this is a fact of life. Some may choose to avoid eating beans because the aftermath can be somewhat, well, crude.  There are a few tricks for lessening the risk. If you use canned beans Please! Please! rinse them well. The liquid contains high amounts of oligosaccharide sugars that are the gas causing culprits of legumes and other vegetables. Also, a lot of sodium is in that liquid, and I prefer to salt to my own taste. When you cook your own beans, skimming the water's surface when the beans come to a boil also reduces the oligosaccharide content of the beans, and chewing sufficiently cuts down on the uncomfortable times later. Start small. Eat a bit of beans and work your way up to larger quantities. These two recipes are delicious, therefore small might be a test of will, but that is a good thing too I suppose.

For nearly one month I have been thinking about a fancy French lentil salad with goat's cheese and endive. A bowl of this and a slice of toast suit me just fine, but a grilled salmon or snapper fillet would also be perfect over this salad.

French Lentil Salad with Goat's Feta and Endive makes 4 cups
green lentils are OK if you absolutely can not find French lentils. French have a better texture and flavor.

1 cup dry French lentils
1 Belgian endive, sliced
1 cup baby spinach leaves, sliced
1/2 cup goat's or cow's milk Feta crumbles (I used 1 whole cup. just so good.)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
cracked black pepper

1. Rinse lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and keep at a low boil for 25 minutes until tender but not mushy
2. Drain in colander and rinse well with cold water
3. Toss lentils with endive, spinach, lemon zest, juice, and garlic
4. Gently fold in feta crumbles. Salt and pepper to taste. enjoy

An old favorite that nestled into my cooking routine after culinary school is this cheery Black Bean Salad. Summer might cause a few red peppers to dice their way into the bowl, or a ripe avocado might make the leap. Keep your options open a bit. The vegetables for a bean salad work the best if they are cut into similar size pieces as the beans. For the carrots and radishes, first cut long thin strips. Then cut the long thin strips into skinny long strips. The cut across the strips into small dice like so.

Black Bean Salad makes 5 cups
from a recipe at The Natural Gourmet

4 cups cooked black beans (2 cans, rinsed well)
1 cup yellow corn (optional)
4 carrots, peeled and small diced
4 red radishes, super small diced
2 tablespoons minced chives

Dressing:
1 tablespoon grainy Dijon
juice of one lime (3 tablespoons)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Combine beans, corn, carrots, radishes, and chives in a mixing bowl
2. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients until emulsified
3. Toss dressing with bean mixture and salt more to taste if desired

Sorry to be all business-y about the recipes today. Geez, there was so much to cover.
Enjoy this day. I will be back soon.

Comments

[Emily]

Dearest L*Joy - I do not comment on blogs, but for yours, dear sweet friend, I will make an exception. Now what could have possibly have prompted this unprecedented move on my part? Cajoling emails? Scrumptious black bean salads? Lentils!?! for Heaven's sake? No dear friend, it was not the breathtaking photos, the delicious descriptions, or the mouth watering recipes. Instead, it was the merest mention of a baked bean sandwich! I was well nourished, growing up, with spaghetti sandwiches! What memories you have brought back with the your bizarre sandwich for I too was raised on bizarre sandwiches as well. :) Thank you for all that you do, in this space and all the others you so beautifully inhabit. I love you!

[Shannon]

As I take the time to slow down for a moment and read what you have written I find that I am actually finding myself thinking "hmmmmm, boy that looks good....I wonder if I could create that?" Kiersten and I are going to get pedicures tomorrow after school. She has FLIP FLOP FRIDAY and wants her toes to look good! She and I were deciding what we were going to do together on Valentine's Day since the boys will be GONE...I just decided...we are going to cook together! I'm going to have her and I pick a recipe or two from here and begin the creation! Stay tuned for this Valentine's Day adventure!!

[L*Joy]

shannon
please do tell what recipes were tried and what colors the toes were painted.
Love love
L*Joy