Live Healthy, eat more plants!

It's a fact! You will feel better and enjoy great health if you will eat more plants along with taking a great walk or some form of exercise every day. I prefer a vegetarian lifestyle. On Sundays, I try to make a salad or soup for my work lunch that will last 3-4 days. Lately, the teenager in our house (Kailey) has jumped on the bandwagon and likes to take salads to school for her lunch too! This one is kid tested and approved. What Kailey loves are, potatoes, green beans, olives, feta, parsley, bell pepper, but not so much the white kidney beans also known as Cannellini beans. I need them for protein, so she picks them out and I get a double portion. If you don't want to add the beans, add crisp, crumbled bacon. 

Green and White Bean Salad a la Mediterranean

1-pound small potatoes (I use Trader Joe's red, white and blue mix mini potatoes, cooked in the microwave. Pierce each clean potato with a knife and place them in the microwave for about 6 minutes turning them over part way through the cooking process) Do be careful not to overcook them and remove the tender ones as they are done. 

1/4 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 medium sweet onion, peeled and 1/4 inch dice

3 ounces Feta Cheese (At Trader Joe's it comes already crumbled)

1-pound Cherry tomatoes, washed

1-bunch flat leaf parsley, remove stems and chop (this is a powerhouse of green goodness)

4 ounces pitted Kalamata olives, (again Trader Joe's, cut olives in 1/2)

1 15-ounce can White Kidney Beans or Cannellini Beans (yes Trader Joe's has these)

1 pound thin green beans AKA Haricot Vert (we got ours at our Farmers Market, but the grocer ones work just as well. Look for thin, def not thick beans). Cut beans into 1 1/2 inch lengths

zest and juice of one lemon

6 Tablespoons Olive oil, I use organic extra virgin (Trader Joe's)

salt and ground pepper to your taste 

To begin:

Start your potatoes.

Next, you will need a large skillet. I used cast iron. Heat your pan over medium + heat then add 2 tablespoons olive oil. 

Add diced onions and saute until golden and caramelized. 

Add green beans and saute approximately 4 minutes. Beans should still be green and crisp. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add white beans and heat through and check seasoning. 

If your potatoes are done, quarter them and add a titch more olive oil to pan with beans and onions. Toss in the potatoes and cherry tomatoes. Season. You could also add ground garlic powder (not salt)

Get a large bowl ready.

Add lemon zest and juice to the bowl and 4 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk to combine and season with ground pepper and salt. BTW I love the disposable salt and peppers mills at Trader Joe's. 

Add  to dressing bell pepper and parsley. Now add all the hot ingredients and mix to coat all the vegetables with dressing. How does it taste? Potatoes take more salt than many other vegetables. When salad begins to cool, add the Feta cheese. 

I store my salad in a big ziploc and take a portion to work every day. 

 Serve warm or at room temperature.