Fulla Beans

Wheeeee! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Beth sent me this very bad-ass snail and it's hard to be anything other than happy with this on one's desk. Wheeee.

This picture ended up in the same file as the photos for bean salad (and/or relish), so I thought I'd mash them all into a post here...but please don't add snails to your beans...unless you really want to, I guess? But oh, snails.

Anyway!

I eat a ton of this in the summer, especially when it's just too warm to cook. This recipe began with this Guy Fieri recipe, but there are so many different things you can do with it, you can absolutely turn it into your own thing. Here's what I employed:

1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas!)
1 can white beans (cannellini)
onion
olive oil
honey
red wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar
lime juice
cilantro
salt and pepper

I have also been known to throw in a tomato (red, seeded; or those tiny golden ones, sliced in half). I seed the regular-sized tomato to make this a little less wet.

You are fulla beans

Rinse and drain your beans, toss into a bowl along with your onion. As to onions, I've used all kinds. This time, it was sweet, but I usually use red, because the color is lovely in this dish. I've also used green onions. Chives would also be great, I bet. As to beans, use what you like best. Red, pinto, black, white, garbanzo, whatEVER. This is easy, beans do not involve stress.

Add your cilantro if you're using it. I think I'm lucky in that it does not taste like soap for me. Such a lovely flavor--and if you don't like cilantro you might try a sprinkle of coriander, which is the seed form of cilantro and has a more lemony flavor. YUM.

My dressing was the vinegars (about 1/4 cup each), the honey (a tablespoon? to your liking--this will make the vinegars a little less bitey), the juice of one lime, and fresh cracked salt/pepper. You could completely change this up with different vinegars (white? not sure I'd do apple cider, but...that could also be interesting), and different citrus--lemon or orange? You could also easily add some zest if you wanted!

Dress for success!

Add the olive oil last, whisking your dressing into sweet brilliance. You can dress this right away and let everything marinate, or you can dress before serving. Either way works, depending on how your day sorts out! This also keeps well in the fridge.

I have some down there right now...

It knows my name...

See, tomatoes too!