This white bean salad is quite a lunch tableau and it takes all of two minutes to make if you have beans already cooked.
If you’ve stayed far away from those beans that are dried in the bulk bins out of intimidation, today we are going to reverse that trend. These little guys are total food magic- filled with protien, fiber, minerals and super-delicious in a zillion ways!
Once you have a big pot of beans, you can toss them in soups, on salads or blended as a veggie dip. I even make cakes and ice cream from the strangely named navy bean.
White beans are my favorite blood sugar cure! When I feel super-hungry, I make a salad of white beans if I am lucky enough to have them ready to go.
To make all beans ultra-digestible, this is the way to do it:
1. Soak beans in a ton of clear water on a counter overnight. Do not oversoak them, or they will become less digestible. 8 hours is plenty. It’s better to undersoak them rather than oversoak them.
2. Fill a giant pot with water and boil it. Don’t add salt or your beans will be terrible.
3. Fully rince the beans and drain them well. Add the beans to the pot of boiling water and boil them on high for 15 minutes or so, using a big spoon to scoop off the foam at the top.
4. Lower the pot to a simmer and cook the beans for another 45 minutes, and you can take off any more foam you find collecting at the top along the way.
5. Test the beans by running a few under cold water and squishing them between your thumb and one finger. When they are fully cooked they will be soft and sqush relatively well. It is way better to be overcooked than undercooked.
To make this lemony white bean salad wuth tomatoes … a super-amazing favorite:
Slice a bunch of ripe organic tomatoes, heirloom if they are in season.
Fan them out on plates and drizzle with oilive oil and a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
In a small bowl
squeeze the juice of one lemon
add a bit of honey
add a full teaspoon of seasoned salt (I use the Everyday Seasoning from Trader Joes’s usually, or you can do 1 teaspoon of salt and some paprika)
add a healthy shake of pepper
and the leaves of at least 5 twigs of fresh thyme (*this is sooo good)
Stir it all together. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to…then add two cups of beans to the dressing .
I let the beans sit in the dressing for about an hour in the refrigerator if I have time… or you can serve immediately, spooning on top of plates of tomatoes.
Super impressive… Paleo, Gluten-Free, SCD legal (*just watch for your seasonings to be legal) and its actually, incidentally, the coolest and most dynamic plate to serve that costs about $3.00 each as dinner with the best of organic tomatoes!
Cooking more connects you to the energy of your food. It is also massive prosperity feng shui!
Oh, yes, and you can even have your leftover beans for breakfast with coconut milk, cinamon and some nut butter. Seriously… so good!
Enjoy!
xoxo Dana
I won’t lie: I’ve never soaked a bean in my life! However, canned beans are giving me there heebie-geebies! I’m going to try this. I’m excited to become a master bean soaker b/c its getting cool and I love homemade chili!!!