Summer Bean Salad

Can you believe I was Freshly Pressed? I am so excited! It has been really great and heart-warming to read everyone’s comments and check out some cool new blogs! If you are a new reader from yesterday, welcome! I am new to the blogging world, and began Homemade Adventure in May as a way to combine my passions for food, health, fitness, and fun. I didn’t know it at the time, but it has really turned out to be such a blessing! It has helped to confirm my passion for discussing healthy lifestyles, and has given me reason to stay motivated and creative in the kitchen. Writing makes me happy, and I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy creating and writing! Most of my posts center around what I am making in the kitchen, but will also have posts from my travels, musings on medical school, and other random thoughts on life. Check out my About Me page for a bit more on my food philosophy, and my How-To Page and Recipe Box for some kitchen inspiration (or just a little food gawking ;) ).

Going back to school in August means a month living in summer weather with no air conditioning, surrounded by summer activities, and already burdened by a mountain of work. When the kitchen is already 90+ degrees and my mood is altered from trying to work through a problem set on pharmacokinetics, I am not really excited to jump in front of the stove for any amount of time! This recipe is great because it requires so little stove time (or none if you steam the beans in a microwave). Even better, the flavors soak into the beans more the longer it sits in the fridge, making it a perfect leftovers-for-lunch dish for later in the week! You could even mix some cous cous or quinoa into this for some grains to round it out.

The flavors were inspired by what was in my Boston Organics box – green beans, perfect for a four bean salad, and thyme, which would go with the lemons I snagged from home. The meal comes together in about 10 minutes, and is really portable! I threw it together after an afternoon of studying, and carried a tupperware full of it in my backpack as I biked off to the Esplanade, the riverside park and bike path in Boston. They show movies on Friday evenings throughout the summer, and the feature this night was Toy Story 3. I am a huge Disney/Pixar fan, and especially love this movie! It was so much fun to spend time outside on this beautiful evening, and it was great to see so many different ages of people coming together for an evening in Boston. Great food and a great evening with friends!

Question: What inspired you to blog? Or if you aren’t a blogger, what keeps you reading blogs?

Lemon Thyme Four Bean Salad

serves 4-5

1 lb green beans, cut into bite sized pieces

1 can each, drained and rinsed well, chickpeas, red kidney beans, and pinto beans

juice of 4 small lemons

1 tbsp fresh thyme

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Dijon

pinch salt

black pepper to taste

Drain and rinse the canned beans well (to get off most of the salt and canning liquid.) In a steamer, steam the green beans for 2-3 minutes, enough to be cooked but still bright green and crunchy. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with the thyme and pinch of salt. Pour the dressing over the beans and mix everything together well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cold.