TGIF!
If you have had a hard week, I thought of a way to get in some extra relaxation time on Friday without slaving over the stove or ordering unhealthy expensive take-out food!
I did it today, and it can be done if you spare just a bit of time on Thursday evening. You just prepare most of the ingredients needed for a salad bar that night, before Friday! So, I usually just make a macaroni or potato salad, a huge rich in greens and leafy salad including tons of colorful vegetables and tomatoes. I sometimes choose an alternate salad, so something like a quinoa or bean salad.
You can also make sweet carrot coleslaw or a Waldorf salad, which to me is a little bit like a dessert salad. I usually keep it to 3 types of salad, since it's more than enough leftovers for later and salads won't keep for long. It's something that everyone can eat for dinner on Friday night and if some people need can add a dinner bun, and finish off as a side for luncheon on Saturday.
Now, when it comes to bean salads if you are making it from scratch be aware you will have to soak your dry beans overnight or purchase already cooked canned beans. Read the back of the package as directed and soak them, so perhaps do this a day before on Wednesday so you can get to cooking right away after work. It takes an hour and 20 minutes, after bringing to boil for the first ten minutes and then on simmer for the remainder of the time, you will have cooked beans. I went ahead and did this on Thursday, and of course, do have to cook something else for dinner that night.
I pick out any weird beans I see, like small or broken ones and toss those as they will give you more flatulence- basically they are bad and not good if you were to cook and keep them in the recipe. Then, I put the rest of the beans to soak into a Tupperware container and fill it up with water, or some ladies soak their beans in sprite pop. That is something to consider and do, in all cases, you may just want make a quick stop to purchase a can or two of cooked assorted beans or something. Better a deli fresh bean salad from the grocery store on your way home and then just get to another salad making dish when you arrive home.
So, to start off the first evening of the weekend I went with a large green salad, macaroni and a white kidney bean salad. All were so good and I actually used the bean salad recipe listed on the bag. It was so savory and super, and I love all bean salads but this was excellent. This idea can be any day during the week if you wanted, but it's a nice dinner on a Friday night if you are keeping to a budget or watching your waist-line. If you are not watching your waistline, then add some delicious homemade dressing in abundance, and serve with garlic toast and you can unwind!
White Kidney Bean Salad
2 cups white kidney beans
8 cups water
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large head of garlic, unpeeled, crushed (I peeled and chopped mine)
1 large fresh sage sprig (I used dry sage leaves that I had on hand)
1/4 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
olive oil to drizzle....
Also I added a little bit of onion; what ever you like, :)
Soak beans overnight. Drain and add to a pot with 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, sage, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Using slotted spoon, transfer beans to serving bowl discarding garlic, sage, and peppercorns.
Season beans to taste with pepper and more coarse salt. Drizzle with olive oil and serve. ..... I did make my own red wine vinegar and olive oil; a vinaigrette including a teaspoon of sugar or you could use honey, and a dollop of mayonnaise and onion powder. Shake in a clean jar with lid.
You can try that and see if you like that or if you want another bean salad look it up, or I also recommend adding different spice such as what I do with chickpeas. I take the cooked legumes and fry them in butter and onion, honey and curry powder, which is also savoury but sweet.
So enjoy your salad bar!
If you have had a hard week, I thought of a way to get in some extra relaxation time on Friday without slaving over the stove or ordering unhealthy expensive take-out food!
You can also make sweet carrot coleslaw or a Waldorf salad, which to me is a little bit like a dessert salad. I usually keep it to 3 types of salad, since it's more than enough leftovers for later and salads won't keep for long. It's something that everyone can eat for dinner on Friday night and if some people need can add a dinner bun, and finish off as a side for luncheon on Saturday.
Now, when it comes to bean salads if you are making it from scratch be aware you will have to soak your dry beans overnight or purchase already cooked canned beans. Read the back of the package as directed and soak them, so perhaps do this a day before on Wednesday so you can get to cooking right away after work. It takes an hour and 20 minutes, after bringing to boil for the first ten minutes and then on simmer for the remainder of the time, you will have cooked beans. I went ahead and did this on Thursday, and of course, do have to cook something else for dinner that night.
I pick out any weird beans I see, like small or broken ones and toss those as they will give you more flatulence- basically they are bad and not good if you were to cook and keep them in the recipe. Then, I put the rest of the beans to soak into a Tupperware container and fill it up with water, or some ladies soak their beans in sprite pop. That is something to consider and do, in all cases, you may just want make a quick stop to purchase a can or two of cooked assorted beans or something. Better a deli fresh bean salad from the grocery store on your way home and then just get to another salad making dish when you arrive home.
So, to start off the first evening of the weekend I went with a large green salad, macaroni and a white kidney bean salad. All were so good and I actually used the bean salad recipe listed on the bag. It was so savory and super, and I love all bean salads but this was excellent. This idea can be any day during the week if you wanted, but it's a nice dinner on a Friday night if you are keeping to a budget or watching your waist-line. If you are not watching your waistline, then add some delicious homemade dressing in abundance, and serve with garlic toast and you can unwind!
White Kidney Bean Salad
2 cups white kidney beans
8 cups water
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large head of garlic, unpeeled, crushed (I peeled and chopped mine)
1 large fresh sage sprig (I used dry sage leaves that I had on hand)
1/4 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
olive oil to drizzle....
Also I added a little bit of onion; what ever you like, :)
Soak beans overnight. Drain and add to a pot with 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, sage, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Using slotted spoon, transfer beans to serving bowl discarding garlic, sage, and peppercorns.
Season beans to taste with pepper and more coarse salt. Drizzle with olive oil and serve. ..... I did make my own red wine vinegar and olive oil; a vinaigrette including a teaspoon of sugar or you could use honey, and a dollop of mayonnaise and onion powder. Shake in a clean jar with lid.
You can try that and see if you like that or if you want another bean salad look it up, or I also recommend adding different spice such as what I do with chickpeas. I take the cooked legumes and fry them in butter and onion, honey and curry powder, which is also savoury but sweet.
So enjoy your salad bar!
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