Recipe: Bean Salad
Ingredients
- Fresh bunch of Leeks (2 to 3 leeks come in a bunch)
- 1 red onion
- Dijon mustard (grey poupon)
- Balsamic vinegar (aged balsamic is better if available)
- Olive oil
- Yellow pepper
- 2 cans of white kidney beans called cannelloni beans
- 1 jar of capers in caper juice/oil (use the smaller capers)
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh cilantro (optional)
- Fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- To prepare the leaks, rinse them thoroughly, pull off one layer of stalk , cut off the root tips and also slice the leak up the stalk starting from the root but do not split the leak in half, cut it 3/4 up the stalk so that it stays together (holds the flavor and juices in and also is easier to cut later on) rinse again and get the leaks soaked on the inside so that when you cook it you are also steaming the inside. Cook for about 7-10 minutes turning them over to burn evenly. Once cooked you are only going to use the root of the leak, do not use the leaves.
- Rinse out the beans – no need to cook them – and put in a large mixing bowl
- Chop up your red onion (use about half of a fist sized onion), chop up the pepper and also chop up your leaks and mix them into the beans
- Drizzle on about half a cup of balsamic and less then 1/4 a cup of olive oil (see variations). Also add 1 spoon full of Dijon mustard.
- Add about half the jar of capers and also add in the caper oil and juice
- Salt and pepper to taste. Mix it up and put in the fridge for about 10 minutes or until ready to eat.
Quick Notes
And an interesting fact: Studies suggest that White Kidney Bean helps reduce the rate at which starch is converted to sugar in the digestive process, thus reducing caloric intake. Supposedly white kidney beans neutralize the digestive enzyme alpha amylase before it can convert starch into glucose and then fat. Essentially, it allows the carbohydrates to pass through the system possibly with less caloric intake. – NO IDEA IF THIS IS TRUE but I have read this in a few places.
Variations
- The biggest pain in the ass of this dish is cooking the leaks. I usually grill them but you can also broil them. They just need a high heat and direct flame if possible.
- I love vinegar and mustard so you may not want to use as much as i do.
Prep Time (minutes): 10-20
Cook Time (minutes): 17-20
Diet type: Vegan
Number of servings (yield): 2 (hungry) people
Culinary tradition: (unspecified)
Microformatting by hRecipe.