LIME CILANTRO BEAN SALAD

I'm trying hard to make healthy choices.  This salad is a great way to get your protein in through the beans and not by animal intake.  You should try to get some form of protein in every meal.  This is a good dish to make on a Sunday so that you can put it in small containers to take to work.  Please leave out the red onion though, your office mates will appreciate that!

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 orange pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced (if you like them)

½ red onion, diced (optional)

½ cup cilantro, chopped

1 lime 

¼ cup olive oil

1-15.5 oz can of black beans

1-15.5 oz can of garbanzo beans or any white bean

1-15.5 oz can corn

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Add diced peppers, onions (if you are using them), and cilantro into a large bowl.  Add juice of lime and olive oil.  Mix together.  Put your beans in a strainer to rinse then add all beans and corn to bowl.  Stir, add salt and pepper to taste.

MEGAN'S MINESTRONE SOUP

With the chilly weather approaching and since I'm trying hard to cook healthier, I took a stab at Minestrone Soup.  I hope you enjoy my version.  Many friends are staying away from pasta and carbs so if that's you just leave out the d'italini.  If you have green beans or zuccini in the frig, by all means add them!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 large carrot, diced

Herbs – 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon dried basil OR a handful of fresh thyme leaves separated from stems (more work but really lovely)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 15-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can low-sodium navy(white) beans, drained and rinsed

4 large leaves of kale (sliced) or a bunch of fresh spinach

1 cup d’italini pasta

 finely grated parmesan cheese to taste (optional)

 chopped fresh basil or parsley for garnish (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs, add salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes.

Add the tomatoes and the broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans, kale and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with the parmesan and chopped basil or parsley.

POACHED SALMON WITH MUSTARD SAUCE

As promised, here is the recipe.

Salmon

2 cups dry white wine

2 cups water

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, whole plus some chopped for garnish

1 lemon, unpeeled, sliced plus another lemon for garnish

1 (2 pound) salmon fillet with skin

 Mustard Sauce, recipe follows

Put the wine, water, bay leaves, 2 sprigs of parsley and the sliced lemons into a large deep skillet and bring to a simmer.

Add the salmon, skin side down. Add more water, if necessary, to cover the salmon. Cover the skillet and simmer over a low heat until the fish is just cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Transfer the fish to a plate, discard bay leaves, parsley, and lemon slices, cover it and chill it completely in the refrigerator, about 3 hours.

To serve, peel the skin from the fillet and scrape away any brown flesh. Put the fish on a serving plate, garnish with lemon slices and sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over it.

Serve with Mustard Sauce.

Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup Mayo

1 cup Dijon Mustard

½ Lemon, squeezed

1 teaspoon Horseradish or a few dashes of Tabasco

a few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  

Poached Salmon with Mustard Sauce

I realize this should be an entry into my food blog in the summer months but I just returned from a fabulous trip to California and after walking on the beach, taking yoga classes while watching dolphins jump out of the water, and the sunshine every single day, upon returning to the east I wanted to keep the FEELING of summertime.  I totally winged this dish and didn't do measurements so stay posted because now I have to do it all again and measure it out correctly...