Don't get me wrong. As a kid, I had vegetables every single night. It was just that when my parents had salad, my brother and I would stubbornly have bowls of chopped veggies. Yes, the same vegetables they had in their salads. Trust me, they tasted really different that way.
And when I would have a bowl of salad, it would always be dressing free. Healthy? Yes. Tasty? Not really.
I really started having salads again when I began going over for dinner for a home-cooked meal each week with two of my dearest friends, both of whom grew up having salad with dinner every night.
We'd have our entree, always fantastic. Then, just when I felt like I had reached my limit, the salad would come out.
Usually it was a BFS, a big fat salad. It would be loaded with greens, veggies and a sprinkling of some kind of cheese. Imagine a salad filled with avocado, hearts of palm, fresh tomatoes and sliced peppers. It was always lightly dressed, with a bit of lemon in the dressing, and always delicious.
Other times, the salad was much more simple. Arugula with a simple dressing and a bit of parmesan. Raw kale with radishes, lightly dressed.
The dinner tradition continues, but I've taken to making my own salads occasionally too. I figure having salad more than once a week might actually be a good thing.
While this isn't the most veggie-heavy salad I've ever had, it's quick and tasty. It came together in under five minutes, and it kept me well fed for lunch at work for most of a week.
Cannellini Bean and Red Cabbage Salad with a Pesto Dressing
recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times
Ingredients
2 19-ounce cans of cannellini beans, well rinsed
4 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 tablespoons basil pesto
A generous sprinkling of salt and pepper
Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir well. Let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to come together. Serve at room temperature
I recently discovered salads too (in the last couple of years, anyways) and I actually kind of love them now so I'm always looking for new recipes. My current fave is romaine lettuce with a light dressing served with prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe--so good. This cannellini bean and red cabbage salad looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteOoh! What a fancy sounding salad. I had something like that in Italy awhile back but I hadn't thought about it sense. I'll have to look into that again!
Deletered cabbage is wonderful! i also still have to get used to seeing salad as a full meal, so having some beans in it certainly makes it more hearty and filling!
ReplyDeleteI've become such a huge cabbage fan lately as I've been using it in more dishes. I've made very few meal salads but this one could definitely qualify.
DeleteThis looks SUPER yummy. Can't wait to try it. Love your blog, by the way (and thanks for visiting mine :))!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was happy to stop by. It's always such a treat to discover a new blog!
DeleteMy parents always made the most BORING salads, so I rebelled against eating them for MANY years. But now I love fun original salads with good mix-ins. The pesto dressing on this would absolutely make it for me!
ReplyDeleteYes! I've definitely been more excited about salads since I recognized their potential!
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