Weather: 41, overcast
What I’m listening to: When Our Hearts Sing, Rush of Fools
I’m beginning to wonder if I have a sign on my forehead that tells strangers in the grocery store to ask me about food. From the sweet senior citizen in his motorized cart asking me to help him know how to choose a ripe avocado, to the younger man inquiring about which apples are the sweetest, to the woman holding up a root vegetable and asking me if it is indeed a turnip, people just love to stop me in the grocery store. And then I wonder if this is just an Alaska phenomenon where everyone talks to everyone in the grocery store and it has very little, if anything, to do with me. The latter is probably true, I keep telling myself, because I’m embarrassed to think that perhaps everyone can tell just by looking at me how much I truly relish my weekly grocery shopping trip, or even more embarrassingly that my food-blogger-disguised-as-disheveled-mom-shopper look isn’t fooling anybody. Gah.
This light and fresh bean salad is full of all sorts of goodies I gathered from said grocery store’s produce department, although I know some of my lucky readers already have some of these growing in their gardens (we can’t plant until the end of May due to frost). So for you lucky ones, this is perfect garden-to-table fare, bursting with flavors of spring and summer – tomatoes, parsley, lemon, rosemary, and garlic. This is splendid as a little side dish with an entree, sandwich, or soup. I also tried it over greens, which was lovely.
Grape Tomato & White Bean Salad
Adapted from [Simply Recipes|http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/white_beans_and_cherry_tomato_salad/]
Yields: 6 side-dish servings
- 1 (15oz) can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/3c flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- For the Dressing:
- 1/4c extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2t rosemary
- 1/4c grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2t salt
- 1/4t pepper
- 1t lemon zest
- 1/4c lemon juice
In a bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, and parsley. Fold together. In a smaller bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until fully combined. Pour over salad and stir to coat. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving for flavors to mingle.