![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYpkqmmEc9aUWJjH3ti7EE01msBz6B1F1i8l2FLSzU5yOzU0WGmvlBhwUEAP-yORVNLfvPkPfQCrb_d9xoC3IN_R_qit1dHZSAnUEMjO5fKTEPzuh3STmIPzll6KQx9BoL6GX0ufUMF7e/s400/DSCN7441.JPG)
No, that's not an egg yolk.
That's one of my yellow cherry tomatoes
in a delicious and light black eyed pea salad,
perfect for a lunch accompaniment
on a hot summer's day
or just for snacking on.
Great on a tostito chip.
Beans are nutritionally wonderful.
They're low in fat and are an excellent source of protein,
fiber, and plant-based nutrients.
They also can prolong the feeling of fullness
after a meal and can help control blood sugar levels.
Please do not hesitate to cook with beans.
I think some people do because the bean directions
generally tell you to soak overnight
and people think it involves lengthy cooking on the stove.
No and no.
All I do is rinse my beans,
put them in boiling salted water,
and simmer away.
Simmer time depends upon the bean.
And remember I like my beans, al dente.
These black eyed peas were ready in about 30 minutes.
Black beans take a bit longer - 35 - 40 minutes.
Kidney beans even longer - 40 - 45 minutes.
For longer cooking beans,
I drain and refresh the water halfway through cooking time.
According to la grande dame, Julia,
this refreshing of water,
decreases the effects of "intestinal motility."
Mr. Hawthorne has a different way of doing beans.
He puts them in salted water,
then brings the water to a good rolling boil,
cuts off the heat,
and covers the pan.
He'll come back in 20 minutes or so and taste test.
If they're not ready,
he uncovers, brings to a boil again,
and taste tests.
He thinks his method is more consistent,
but I haven't experienced any inconsistencies
in my beans with my method.
I find the taste of cooked dried beans
far superior to canned beans
and worth the minimal effort to prepare them.
I will admit I have Semi-Ho'd it before
and used canned beans,
but I didn't like it one bit.
I had to rinse the slime off for about 5 minutes
to remove excess salt and indigestible sugars
that are in the cloudy liquid/slime.
That was enough to turn me off the canned product.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBktQ5JILz5DB0myOwWhs6YclP2nxkpdHnY8yD3HYkZe_SnLMpNUkF3VXy6GHj6Po0actEZlXwS7Ln5ObjswDJeHVOlK1mKXwrPjLsEER54R1d0GZ-vP-5csaue1pkVmf32ZOKvxOjGbl/s400/DSCN7379.JPG)
First, rinse off the beans.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfD8_FLPg8W9qH0P0TZTBf7N5_xBs5sYmZqLgPDt7yjE1jShjAxoRRQkucoiltbYaOUoVOyeoTIUs5VZm9-MHHt29yirvXZdY72zbgTi1an3xTeov4J8_45-9O6eRnz1mGurqg5ES8pZk/s400/DSCN7385.JPG)
Bring salted water to a boil
and add in the beans.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3Fd_uOeAyZe_VFvQBSegaZvTZ1t4xQ8iTn1yzo_jvgrLYqnioRq-9M29sedKleYMqGeYnJTZ2EYtSHF3NE1uPltZblN638FlfF4WGkbcj204QZpOC73VqYphOxM1rrxQyCSA7NEV5YVF/s400/DSCN7388.JPG)
My mise en place:
1 cup dried beans, cooked
(Makes about 2 cups.)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup or so ELBOO
(That's Extra Light Bertolli Olive Oil!)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
cherry or grape tomatoes
flat leaf parsley, chopped
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_QQ4_wxffKOAes2ifPaZriOHBtXfe4L3weJ1dt4cakLM2I5nkKXdEHxmQvX2FsrKhQ-xhJ3N2rZfslRPtpzXWY1DTO3rYkiMI_asxigipPhsvc_6NCxFrTUsFLqFpNC_DJn2bCqdTNCD/s400/DSCN7389.JPG)
I squeezed the juice of one lemon
into a medium bowl.
It always help to roll your citrus before juicing.
When I sliced my lemon,
I noticed it had quite a thick rind,
so I added the juice of a lime too.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZLEB5tlF7R89aU_DNg4CS2_Tvd5t1u5hL7DoPvNkTPWXZOjdoTKROzsuc8DkzL1hfhcXz1L5iR7SuhR4ZWyAhNAdlQDgTiLL0nR2Ez-N4NYP89idHfWaCMAQnWDJnlRqwieFMso9GMUs/s400/DSCN7390.JPG)
I minced the garlic.
The more you mince,
the stronger the flavor.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQERgk8WkUuZoFcioG6oDdg9xE0furbHXo9yRjjiu1wlbgzxxEj0EptxsWhhcdAp2OYUtYzqbuNeDYLnfExdpuVnJlUf978aP1lLNhN2I8stOM0dlLiukBT9lHRkA40ljotHQuRcRf43C/s400/DSCN7393.JPG)
Add garlic to citrus.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4dGHTLVjQZ8uyRlT5hyRy6h0JT8ux0kmnlB3Hup_9bSqy9kHY499IfkkYvLWFzVvlhIBYnn_LU5onXoQw-gWmhD5ztF-B1h4SbFla3HQ9hZEEdGOBHK-a0AKNv-IEBKUIhKh4ic51FqI/s400/DSCN7395.JPG)
Plop in a tablespoon of Dijon.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3nwduc5JTraL-uvkfc8UVPZan55UsRAI9zhxPV-CIKepn2AzTvu_Fj8lg5xvarF_v46I74h0V8fQKlDM5ubwghhroJDKJFRpnpzBdqiD3sp6DKRXFRc42HyRAR3TqCpvxspMRbfpFr7h/s400/DSCN7396.JPG)
A teaspoon of sugar.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XI3UKrZdeTsQPvNVQe8Y8Cvu8uMOPjanx1DfA-KL3ZNovW-qoj_rPN3aE5Ib_lRdNi-9KVKbZRy3MbwqF8t-BG1_lhhofEqEIokG6OE0RlBToiTkQOcY6DBSreR77nKrW-g0gDslyJyZ/s400/DSCN7397.JPG)
Slowly drizzle ELBOO into the mixture,
whisking constantly,
until you have a nice emulsion.
Add salt and pepper.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinp1V37hVPctaKzJMalr8J-q57TQM4ZQIXveEl5l-Rty2-yVIoESHa9tNeE_wJKxu_w66qlZTkAoG-lKZTmQ5ugYrV2H58nroURpZ8lc5ccYgOxCzHF1sIaFPWuNU3EBxQZhPW0PBY8bNa/s400/DSCN7399.JPG)
Add red onion to dressing.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hqzt2-H85Bx85NJzIYmMkjiHPfcfshe_hNb4Kej59qx0mLE303hxpi-SjgHU0ClgVg6OSfppg37fOUdMdgYu66Rb5EsZJlr_x5MMBPwBevaz5S8gE9xNILplQzHWgMnvFVnTGGSiwlUz/s400/DSCN7403.JPG)
Add in black eyed peas.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiS-xxk-k_0qB5oeJnCWO-G1hXCtdN78hiS9NasDyIXz3T3C8BuRKDDI3TWHAw4-_QvWxuPlwrGwZFmK1iCK6XWFFHQhvfMt4kjsKawoq4JnushEZ-VfH-xiEFuNozBIDggA43YWb7DCK_/s400/DSCN7405.JPG)
Mix well,
cover,
and refrigerate for at least an hour
before adding the rest of the ingredients.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrc6nAcniJNFOdzvWjj2LtbwD5DDzpHxLZ0KG_8vS5JOqt9BMdp_VD4qSH1dFDTdgZES0gsCGu8jD_KsDd7NFCp3a4VKaQFvVt0KiyRCwv0JuYdZNn6INmFhqRg6leJbLOQGrrn3IyfkY/s400/DSCN7413.JPG)
My mise en place:
bean marinade mixture
celery
scallion
green pepper
parsley
cherry tomatoes
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDgQxGIkTZzk5BFJCU77t8zSp82j5U-dxiKuFSAE8WsO9V0JM-dT_YGC5riX4lIu13NI01lvK0CzecH06MOaAgAV8o3MRuYZ2JXvWl33FhAWqFbwbG4bAMW3uT2FOQ5iew1YgIy6RLEkO/s400/DSCN7415.JPG)
I minced my parsley,
sliced the scallion,
and chopped the pepper and celery.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlAYV2kjs8wRQ54mMFJvx7rsROGfY2DxdWxFJIlAhqHxB82qL1TldAaOZatPrJdkDKOMwXfY1Lja0RauGD3_pxhGxQOrBDJOxp1FaJjT72IorHg8qdLizwR2uQxZl45HpBzFC1uo6imKk/s400/DSCN7426.JPG)
Add all greenery to the beanery.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBY48yLS55u0u5BiO9h-khGUeDV2qXo0CZ6qjEETBe5rH0E-ROSfitnh0p9ht8ysOajgROgLSudtWozAWqoHGaUwz1DcfElPjmBlA4d7rFnQVhT21_5YvicJoqnvoB_KBI_i5o7xmNPBso/s400/DSCN7429.JPG)
Mix well.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill4itl6S94buo4jd8ZmY_09Dy04V80USOLgwQd3HBCX27VpEr8VNCRFpBhyea3oU-9xbqM97B-wKMiCUf7orTVo3kNyxPHIxI3NaBSWzDlL6HH2yw7MKLdJqGGu-ciD7Jdxjeha6H0cTe/s400/DSCN7431.JPG)
Add in sliced cherry or grape tomatoes.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8uTzroUXmJtUfImU7iIba4XGXCZCE6un8kkiTEbuSgW7Wa8T59aoIdPyzAzmOYhIciVbA-DanrDc5zuscIMOJcpnaK5-Mx7RUwNW7U95UfjuSbVZ4OjsvNXIq3EY5eJqYfzPEF2oHkSJ/s400/DSCN7435.JPG)
I love cool salads that pack a punch.
A bean salad does just that.
I taste the meatiness of the bean.
The freshness of the greenery.
The brightness of the citrus.
The warmth of the Dijon.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW8iCOqP2iOQeaDz9nwYDRbP_vYsYV9zE_8O2Q8zCzv7v-WtlpLvIlDyK_AtgLjVulhoaV5oLS7rIYgqCbqUOmbhFAStXl4_s7C6IMTuMqbJ5WlfTbFug4UQzRV1lVl1_p9eKdOnniVOv/s400/DSCN7438.JPG)
You know it.
That's nuthin' but a moufful o' goodness.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8L1feJ_jsevcU9PYlb90nNFuD_O7-VpNUeokefCNJgK_J-NWRZLwwVrEQsugWkl72iW0RqNGs6JsRbWCq16EI5WqbX0ef8wDY38WYkI08x_2mTpDMeLrmSrQQOLYNM7YQfUXAYQ5Q1f-z/s400/DSCN7439.JPG)
It was a harmonious collage of flavors, textures, and colors.
Oh.
And it was good too.
1 comment:
Your 'maters look SOO tasty! Can you email me some of those beauties? *drools*
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