Three Bean Kale Salad

 

I've always been a fan of three bean salad but wanted to make it more of a... salad.  Unlike traditional salad greens, kale holds up very well to the moisture of dressing.  In fact, raw kale is tastier once it's been marinated in dressing and softens up a bit.  I had this in my fridge for three days and there was no slime factor going on.   This makes it a prime pick for travel.  Just toss together and transport it in a mason jar.

I've used baby kale for this recipe.  I suspect that regular dinosaur kale (aka Lainato or Tuscan) would work well also but I recommend destemming slicing it in thin ribbons first.


 

Three Bean Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 can kidney beans
1 can white beans
1-2 cups green beans steamed tender crisp and cut in bite size pieces*
2.5 oz torn baby kale greens**
3 TB Dijon mustard
3 TB red wine vinegar
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

* I used frozen green beans from Trader Joes and steamed just enough to thaw but not make soggy. 
** 2.5 ounces doesn't sound like much but it was half of the pictured kale package.  I'd say about 3 large handfuls.

Directions

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, and olive oil in a bowl.  Drain and rinse the canned beans then add all the remaining ingredients.  Toss together and refrigerate giving the flavors time to mingle.

Food Prep - Cooking and Freezing Beans - Rice Cooker Method

Eating healthy on the go and retaining your sanity requires a bit of prep work.  This will look different for everybody.  I don't work outside the home so I obviously can spend more time in my kitchen. But these beans are manageable if your home a few hours in the evening and don't mind 60 seconds of prep work and pressing a button.  Not to mention it saves a lot of $$$ if you eat beans often.

How to Cook Dry Beans in a Rice Cooker:

Yes DRY and yes RICE COOKER.  I used to use my crockpot but when we sold everything and moved that was out the door.  The only appliance we've bought brand new for our current kitchen is a rice cooker.  Fly Guy made dinner one night and bought one as gift.  I said thanks but was screaming at him inside "we have an empty kitchen and you choose rice cooker?  why not crockpot, or mixing spoons, or coffee maker? argh!"

Turns out rice cookers are awesome.  More so if there is a 'slow cook' button on them.  It heats my kitchen less than the crockpot and cooks beans from dry to ready eat in about 3 hours flat.  No soaking required. So here is the rundown.

• Rinse a one pound bag of dry beans picking out any debris
• Place in rice cooker with water covering by a few inches
• Press slow cook button
• Turn off after 2 to 4 hours checking every 30 minutes after the 2 hour mark
• Fill approximately 4 pint jars with cooked beans and some of the liquid
• Let cool
• Freeze if not using in the next few days
• Use each jar in place of a 15 oz can of beans in recipes

Tips

• I find white beans get a little mushy and still buy them canned for now.
• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) I sometimes add a pinch of baking soda to help soften them up.
• I can them with the liquid in the event I need it in a recipe (refried beans)  but it can be drained.
• Defrost frozen jars on counter overnight, in microwave, or a bath of warm water.
• Stir once or twice during cooking for more even results.
• If you add seasoning wait until the beans are cooked or it can alter cooking time or make beans tough.
• My rice cooker automatically shuts off after 2 hours and I just press the button a second time. 
• The longer beans have been sitting on the grocery store shelf, the longer they take to cook.  Buy beans that likely have a high turnover rate in the store.

There you have it.  4 cans of beans for around 25 cents each minus the metal can taste.  If you have a crockpot it's the same rundown but an hour or two more cooking time.

We use this model Aroma Rice Cooker.  The slow cook button is a must for this method!

Black Bean Cumin Lime Salad

I discovered I didn't have any bread Sunday night and was not about to go to the store before school on Monday. Fortunately I have a tried and true lunch staple that takes about 5 minutes to pull together.

There was a time when my kids came undone over green items in their lunch but we are slowly breaking them in.  Fresh spinach is a great starter green because it's virtually tasteless. 

On non picnic days I'm a big fan of Naturally Ella's 5 ingredient Black Beans and Rice.  Almost the same ingredients and just as easy to pull together.

I'm not sure if it compliments the beans but I also packed this raw Summer Corn Salad.  It's just what worked from my pantry at the moment. The Organic Tortilla Chips came from Target.  My new favorite.

Black Bean Cumin Lime Salad
Adapted from The Kitchn
Serves two small or one big appetite.

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh spinach
Juice of half lime
drizzle of oil, I use olive
1 tsp cumin powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it.  That's it.

Optional additions:  Fly Guy takes an avocado in his bag and dices it right before eating..  Red pepper flakes are another of his favorites.  The boys love to put a huge dollop of plain whole yogurt on top.  Now that I think of it I could have put yogurt mixed with salsa in place of the corn in their containers.

White Bean Tuna Salad

I was getting the kids off to school this morning when Fly Guy got a call for a day trip to Chicago. I had just torn out a recipe from Better Homes and Garden magazine the day before. In part because it was easy but mostly because we rarely eat meat so I expect my kids to throw a party in my honor once they find tuna in the fridge.

Here is the original White Bean Tuna Salad recipe.  But I will have you know I cut the tuna down to one can then added some grape tomatoes to protect the arugula from the vinaigrette soaked beans.