Basil-Lemon Cucumber, Tomato, Mozzarella, and Garbanzo Bean Salad

Holy hell of a long salad name, amen! I can't imagine saying the name of this Basil-Lemon Cucumber, Tomato, Mozzarella, and Garbanzo Bean Salad three times fast.

Anyone want to try?

Seriously, though, this salad is packed with all the good stuff. Cucumbers are dirt cheap right now, as are tomatoes, which makes this an easy recipe to feed a crowd. The recipe itself makes ten servings, which is perfect for a big BBQ or a summer picnic, but it can easily be halved or portioned to whatever size you want. Plus it is easy to make. SO easy! I basically cut stuff up, threw it in a bowl, poured the basil-lemon mix over it, and then tossed it in the fridge to sit and marinate for about an hour.

It's a strangely complex salad, in the best way? You get some bright acidity from the tomatoes and lemon juice, and then a cooling crunch from the cucumber, which balances it out nicely. The mozzarella adds just a touch of richness, while the garbanzo beans add some much-needed texture. And of course, what is summer without basil and lemon?

Not summer, that's what.

(On a side note: cucumber-lemon water is my drug right now. I am chugging that stuff by the gallon).

I got in the mood to make this because it is finally, finally getting warm here. And it's probably going to rain tomorrow since I just declared it to feel like summer. Colorado is sassy and likes to go against whatever weather anyone predicts. Wasn't there a Garfield comic once where the weather forecaster said that the estimation was between negative 50 and 1000 degrees? Well, that's Colorado. So I'm taking advantage of the nice weather while it lasts, and making a ton of summery food!

Hope it is just as nice where you all are (and if not, I'll send some good weather vibes your way! It's not like Colorado would listen to them anyway)

Basil-Lemon Cucumber, Tomato, Mozzarella, and Garbanzo Bean Salad
Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 3 large cucumbers, washed and cubed (a bit larger than dicing)
• 10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 (15 oz) can no salt added garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces part skim mozzarella, diced 
• 1/4cup fresh basil, finely chopped
• zest of two medium lemons
• juice of four medium lemons
• 1/4c. olive oil
• 1/2t crushed black pepper
• 1/4t kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Combine cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and mozzarella in a large bowl. Toss to combine, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, black pepper, and salt. Whisk thoroughly for one minute. Pour lemon-basil mixture over the cucumber mixture.
3. Refrigerate for thirty minutes to 24 hours. Serve cold. Best served within four days.   

Nutritional Information:
Sodium: 209mg
Total Fat: 10g
     Saturated Fat: 3g
     Monounsaturated Fat: 5g
     Trans Fat: 0g
Sugar: 5g
Protein: 10g
Calories: 197

Lemon Cannellini Bean Salad

My garden is growing!

Despite the sweltering weather, Sacramento is treating my vegetable garden really well. I had an incident with a wilted plant the other day, but some water and less sunshine fixed it right up. My tomatoes have sprouted like crazy, nearly as tall as I am now, and my pepper plants are starting to bud out. Basil is taller, but I have no clue how to tell when basil is at it's peak growth period. All I know is that everything looks, and smells, awesome! Anyone else gardening now? What are you growing?

Gardening is something that I always associate with summer, because I have various family members who always garden. There are other things that I think of for summer, too, like frozen yogurt and anything bright. Both in color (hello blue flowered shorts) and flavor. Citrus, in particular, is a huge thing for me during summer. I've been making a ton of lemon water and squeezing limes on everything. I had some leftover lemons and I figured I should do something fun with them. My eating has been kinda wacky the last few weeks so I decided to make a salad...  without the greens.

I love bean-based or grain-based salads, in particular because they offer some variety and remind me that not everything that's healthy has to have dark greens. Don't get me wrong-- I love taking kale and arugula, maybe some mustard greens, and letting them take the stage for my dinner salad. But sometimes it's nice to just have a break from the norm. This salad combines hearty cannellini beans with celery for some crunch, and then some lemon and paprika jazz up the flavor even more.

As you can see in the photos, I use celery leaves. People really underestimate how much of the celery they can use and often only stick to the middle section, and it bothers me to no end to see how most people waste the slightly sweet, mild flavor of the celery tops. Don't throw those away, guys! They add the perfect amount of complexity to this dish. Which, by the way, is obnoxiously easy to make.

(Oooh, also! One serving of this gives you 59% of your iron, which is the most common nutritional deficiency anemia in the world.)

Lemon Cannellini Bean Salad
Serves 2         Serving Size: 0.75 cup

Ingredients:

• 1c. unsalted cannellini beans (rinsed and drained, if from can)
• 1/2c. celery tips/leaves, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 large lemon
• 1T olive oil
• 1/4t paprika
• 1/4t pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to coat.

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 81mg
Total Fat: 7g
         Saturated: 1g
         Mono: 5g
         Trans: 0g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 8g
Calories: 186
Iron: 59%