Yesterday, I didn't have a clue what to eat for lunch. I threw together some Naan pizzas (my friend Tracy makes them for catering gigs in Vancouver) for Alan & the kids and I was really starting to wonder if I should just throw in the towel on my 21-day plan. All cheesy with homemade pizza sauce, mushrooms, ham and yellow peppers, they were really hard to resist.
I picked up the "Once Upon A Tart" cookbook and went straight to the salad chapter. So many salads to choose from, so long as I had all the ingredients. I started reading through the "Black-bean Salad with Avocado, Cilantro, and Jalapeno Pepper" and realized that I had a winner. I cut down on the quantities of the ingredients, opened a can of beans instead of soaking them for 24 hours, and within 15 minutes, I sat down to a lovely lunch.
Black-Bean Salad with Avocado & Cilantro
1 can black beans, rinsed thoroughly and drained very well.
1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped fine
1/3 c. red onion, chopped fine
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
1 or 2 green onions, both green & white parts, thinly chopped
1 avocado, halved, pit removed, and diced
For the vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 t. salt or to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Add some chopped jalapeno, if desired
Put all the salad ingredients except the avocado, into a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, cumin, salt & pepper in a small bowl. Add the olive oil in a thin, slow stream, whisking as you go to form an emulsion. Stir in the cilantro (and jalapeno, if using). Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine, making sure that everything is well dressed. Add the avocado and toss lightly, being careful not to mash the pieces to bits. Serve at room temperature.
*I threw the beans into the bowl after draining them in a colander for a few minutes and lots of water went into the bowl too. I moved them out of the bowl and wiped it dry and then took a piece of paper towel and ran it around and underneath the beans in the colander, trying to soak up as much water as I could. You don't want your salad to be watery so it is important to start with dry beans.
*This salad would make a nice filling for a quesadilla. Just leave out the avocado and serve it with the quesadilla. Heat a pan with a little oil in it. Place a tortilla in the warm pan and spoon some salad on top. Cover this with some old cheddar cheese and a second tortilla. Cook until the cheese begins to melt and the bottom tortilla is golden brown and flip and cook the other side. Serve with the avocado and sour cream. Why didn't I think of this yesterday?!
*I use wholewheat Naan from President's Choice. They come in packages of two and they are so convenient to have in the freezer.
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