Beans, Beans the Musical Fruit...

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a awhile.  Mr. Penguin and I will be moving in about two weeks so we have been very busy packing and cleaning up our old place.  We're excited to be moving into our own place with no roommates but also saddened as well.  Mr.  Foo-foo Cuddley Poops was a wonderful roommate but we are soon to be a married couple and I can see how that could be annoyingly bothersome.

We are also counting down to our September 24th wedding which is swiftly approaching.  I have many DiY projects that just refuse to make themselves.   I live so far away from family and friends who would want to help me out in that department.  My Dad made our cake stand and I have coffee filter roses that just need assembling and painting.  I'm getting excited and nervous!

The following recipe was an attempt to eat healthier and to have a new lunchbox staple.  My office has no microwave and while I can ask to have an item heated up it just becomes a pain in the butt so I choose not to bring leftovers etc.  This recipe can made a head of time (and is even tastier the next day!) and is cheap and easy to make.

The only weird ingredient that you might not have on hand is the herbs de Provence.  It's essentially a mix of mixture of dried herbs such as savory, fennel, basil, thyme flowers, rosemary, bay leaf, chervil, tarragon, marjoram, and mint.  My bottle also lists dried lavender.  It tasted primarily of thyme and rosemary to me so I imagine a combo of those two herbs would be fine to substitute the herbs de Provence.

The addition of red onion automatically makes this a no-go for Mr. Penguin.  He really dislikes raw onion.  Sometimes it gets on my nerves too so I didn't add too much.



Actually, don't rinse your beans.  I messed up here.

Add oil, vinegar, lemon juice, onion and herbage in a bowl and stir to combine.

Add the beans.  Refrigerate covered overnight. 

White Bean and Red Onion Salad
Adapted from Simply Recipes

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

1 15 ounce can of white beans such as cannellenni
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dry herbs de Provence
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh herb such as parsley, sage or thyme for garnish, optional

Directions:  

In a medium bowl add onion and lemon juice and toss together. Add herbs, vinegar and oil and stir together. 

Cover and refrigerate for 15 – 30 minutes, letting the flavors come together.

Open can of beans, drain and rinse lightly in a colander. 

Shake a couple of times, letting any excess water drain out. 

Add to onion mixture. 

Toss together. 

Garnish with fresh herb and serve.