Hello everyone,

So as many of you may know, John has been on vacation in Lake Tahoe for the last week, leaving me to fend for myself!

So there are a few aspects of my day-to-day life that change when John is not home. First, anything that breaks will stay broken. The second is that there are generally no tools lying around (I suspect this somehow explains the first change.) But the most notable change when John is on vacation would have to be my eating habits.

And no, this is not what you might be thinking; me, sitting at home, my lazy bum parked on the couch, stuffing my face with bags of cheezies and pounds of chocolate in secrecy, like John will never know. When John is away, my meals are essentially replaced by bird food, meals whose lack of substance and excess amount of vegetables would make any grown man’s stomach groan in agony.

So as I have been consistently been preparing myself salads for dinner and lunch over the past week, I thought I would share one of my recipes with you! This week’s recipe is a Black Bean Coconut Salad. Quick and easy, this hearty salad is a great fresh side to any Indian cuisine you may be making, however the high fiber black beans make this a perfect dinner or lunch salad.

This recipe is by Bal Arneson, the Spice Goddess!

TIPS:
– Start by adding 2 tbsp of cumin, and then continue to add more to taste. You will find that you can add a startling amount of cumin to this salad.
– Be sure to use unsweetened, dry coconut

Ingredient I can’t live without:

DRIED COCONUT:
– A great ingredient to add subtle sweetness. Try adding to your porridge, baking, or any coconut curries

Spice/herb of the week:

CUMIN
– An essential ingredient in Mexican or Indian cooking. Try adding to your homemade hummus along with coriander.

My menu this week: black bean salad today, orzo feta salad tomorrow, and homemade Italian dressing the day after!

Bon Appetit!

Julie

Click here to view printable Word version of the recipe:
Black Bean Coconut Salad

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Black Bean Coconut Salad
By Bal Arneson 

INGREDIENTS:

1 can black beans
1 / 4 cup dried coconut, unsweetened
1 / 4 cup finely chopped green onion
1 / 4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp – 1 / 4 cup ground cumin
1 / 4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Toss, refrigerate and serve