Ok, I confess, I’m a hoarder. No, not like those people on TV; the ones who can’t even find their front door anymore because they’re shoulder-deep in “stuff”. (I’m glad they get professional help because if it was me, I would just knock them out, lock them in a hotel room, and empty their houses out. Right into the trash!)
No, I’m a recipe hoarder. I love clipping, copying, and collecting them. I have shelves of cookbooks,ripped out pages of magazine recipes, and notebooks filled with friends’ and familys’ recipes. I even have a few recipes without titles that I am still trying to figure out what they are and why I copied them! (And I will someday, too.)
It’s a great hobby but, I must admit, sometimes I forget where I got them or who I got them from. I only remember that I loved them enough to hoard them. This is one of those recipes. It’s not something I developed, but I have no idea who to give the credit to.
Truth be told, it was my husband who first discovered this recipe. (Yes, he cooks. And rather well, too.) He made it for a warm summer weekend dinner. We like to eat light on the weekends. Family time is so precious that we try to make the most of every minute. And, because of that, we choose to make lighter fare for dinners. Less time in the kitchen and more time together. Plus, in the summer you just crave less dense food.
This recipe is filled with flavor and it satisfies without weighing you down. The bean mixture is warm and savory, and the spinach is cool crispy and refreshing. The combination is a delight. And the best part: it takes so little time to make, you can wait until the last ray of the sunset is gone before even starting it.
Though there is no meat in this recipe, you will find that the black beans satisfy the desire for protein. The vinegars are tart, but toned down by the cooking time so as not to overpower the dish. I like to serve it with some warm crostini, lightly toasted with a drizzle of olive oil, and then rubbed with a fresh garlic clove.
Warm Black Bean and Spinach Salad
4 cups fresh spinach
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup red pepper, diced
1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp crushed red peppers
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup shaved parmesan
Tear spinach into bite sized pieces and place in large bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, green onion and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Add bell pepper; sauté 2 minutes more.
Add beans and next six ingredients; cook and stir for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour bean mixture over spinach, toss. Serve warm with shaved parmesan.
And there it is. A lovely warm summer salad for a relaxing Saturday evening. Now all we need is some warm weather to go with it!!!
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