Tuna, White Beans & Olives Salad

Tuna, White Beans & Olive Salad
From Everyday Easy: 30 Minute Dinners

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 (14oz/400g) can butter beans, drained – Ruth’s note: I couldn’t find these so just used 2 cans of navy beans
1 (14oz/400g) can cannellini beans, drained
2 (7oz/200g) cans tuna in olive oil, drained & coarsely flaked
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (actually I used quite a bit more, but be your own guide)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp whole grain mustard
½ tsp sweet paprika
12 black olives (I used oil cured Kalamata) pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tsp capers, drained

Directions:
1. Combine the beans and tuna in a large bowl. Add the vinegar, taste and season well with salt & pepper.

2. Stir in the mustard, paprika, olives and capers. Toss and taste. Season again as needed. Serve immediately. I served mine over a bed of tasty mixed greens, drizzled with olive oil and white wine vinegar.

The tuna salad can be refrigerated for a couple of hours until needed. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

Ruth’s note: Tastes great the next day too and is a perfect picnic lunch.

Black Eyed Pea & Short Rib Soup

Black Eyed Peas & Short Rib Soup

Printable Recipe

Hands-on time: 15-20 minutes – (plus soak the black-eyed peas overnight in lots of water)
Cooking time: 2-3 hours
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 cup black-eyed peas ( other options: cattle beans, navy beans)
1 tbsp olive oil
1lb/450g beef short ribs
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 parsnip, finely chopped
1 quart vegetable or beef broth
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Soak the split peas overnight in lots of water. Drain and rinse well.

2. Fill a large Dutch oven with water, a bay leaf and a sprig of thyme, add the drained peas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until they are soft – about 1 hour. Drain and set aside.

3. Using the same Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat and sear the short ribs on all sides. They are ready to turn when they no longer stick to the bottom of the pot. This keeps the juices from leaking and the meat soft and tender. Once the short ribs are browned, set aside.

4. Lower the heat to medium and add the carrots, onion and parsnip, scraping up the stuck on bits of meat at the bottom, cooking/sweating the vegetables until they are soft and translucent. Return the meat and the peas to the pot and add the broth, thyme, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for at least 2 hours. The peas should be very soft.

5. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and using an immersion blender, if you have one, puree the soup. I like this soup on the coarse side, so I leave some of the black-eyed peas whole for more texture. That said, I really mash it up when my grandsons are over…they like it velvety smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or food processor, doing it in batches until you’re happy with the consistency.

6. Return the meat to the soup, heat and serve.

Savory Black Bean Soup

Savory Black Bean Soup
From Clean Food

Printable Recipe

Hands on time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes or so
Serves 8

Ingredients::
1 thumb size piece of kombu (I couldn’t find any and made the soup without it…tasted just fine to us)
2 tbsp good olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced (or finely chopped)
1 onion, chopped
½ fennel bulb, chopped (recipe called for 1 celery stalk, but I prefer fennel)
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper ( perhaps a touch more if you like it really spicy)
¼ tsp sea salt
6 cups cooked black beans
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup tomatoes, peeled and diced (or, canned fire roasted worked great for me)
2 tbsp mirin (I ran out so I used Chinese cooking wine)
1 tbsp tamari
Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish

Directions:
1. If you are using kombu: place in a bowl with enough warm water to cover. Soak for 10 minutes or until soft Drain, mince kombu and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium low heat in a large heavy bottomed Dutch oven (or really large pot). Sauté garlic and onion for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots, fennel/celery, cumin, cayenne & salt and sauté for 8-10 minutes or until carrots are tender.

3. Add the beans, broth, tomatoes, mirin and tamari (plus kombu if using). Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes to combine the flavors.

4. For a creamier texture (knowing my family is partial to thick soups) I followed their advice and pureed some of the soup with an immersion blender – much easier for cleanups.
Garnish with cilantro and serve.