Weeknight Idea: Warm Bacon and Date Salad

Sometimes salad just doesn't feel like dinner to me. Unless it's unbearably hot outside, I crave a warm meal at the end of the day. But the reality is, after this long hard winter I need a few more salads in my life. Swimsuit season? Woof. 

This salad is a nice middle ground. Substantial and warm, but crisp and low guilt. It's a quick weeknight fix that hits on salty, sweet and bitter. Bacon and cannellini beans provide a nice dose of protein, so you won't be hungry an hour later. Sticky dates round out the flavors and texture. Hits all my targets, so let's call it dinner.

Weeknight Meal: Warm Bacon and Date Salad

1 teaspoon olive oil

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 handful chopped dates

Curly endive

Warm olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add bacon to the pan and cook until crisp. When the bacon is close to being crisp add cannellini beans and dates. Spoon warm mixture over curly endive and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Kale and White Bean Tacos

I didn't go back to school, but somehow the time after Labor Day always feels like you're getting back into the swing of a regular routine. I still feel like I should be reading the Scarlet Letter and studying for calculus. But in my actual life, the pace of work has quickened and the sore reality that summer fun is behind me has set in. With the return of routine, comes more regular weeknight meals. 

I whipped up these kale and white bean tacos the other night as a quick and HEALTHY dinner. And for 15 minutes, they delivered some serious BANG! Great as lunch leftovers too. 

The ingredients are pretty straightforward -- kale, cannellini beans, onion, garlic, tomatoes and jalapenos. All to be stuffed in a corn tortilla and topped with feta and cilantro. All kinds of good stuff.

Quick tip -- When warming tortillas in a microwave, cover with  damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.

Kale is sauteed with onions, garlic and beans to create a delicious filling.

Damn... this makes Wednesdays look good. Now back to that homework. Enjoy!

Kale and White Bean Tacos

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups kale, washed and torn

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

6 corn tortillas

3 jalapenos, sliced

1/2 cup feta crumbles

3-4 tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 lime, sliced

Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat. Add onion slices and saute until softened and slightly browned, about 8-9 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds before adding kale and beans. Saute for about 3-4 minutes before adding salt, pepper and water. Cover immediately and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes, until kale is wilted.

Warm tortillas under a damp paper towel in the microwave. Stuff each tortilla with a healthy pile of kale and beans. Top with sliced jalapenos, tomatoes, feta and cilantro. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice and enjoy!

Soup Au Pistou

Winter is supposed to be over, right? So why am I making soup? I get that you don't want to sip hot liquids in July, but there is a way to do soup outside of the winter freeze. Au Pistou is a traditional French soup is actually made from summer seasonal vegetables and herbs, so totally appropriate to enjoy during the thaw. And you'll be amazed how fresh this tastes.

So while you're all eager as ever to binge on backyard hot dogs and burgers, think about firing up your Le Creuset one more time for this subtle and sophisticated spoonful.

This starts like most soups, with a basic mirepoix. In this case, I've opted for subtlety by using leeks instead of onions. Their mild flavor doesn't overpower the soup. Potatoes make things more substantial and filling.

The really fresh part of this soup is the "au pistou"... which is just the French word for pesto. French makes you sound snazzy. This one combines fresh basil with garlic, tomato paste and parmesan -- simply mashed together with a wooden spoon.  

When you're ready to serve, spoon a dollop of the au pistou in the bottom of the bowl and ladle in the hot soup. The mild soup melts the bold flavor of the au pistou into a beautifully subtle harmony.

 Soup Au Pistou
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups diced carrot
2 cups diced red potato
2 leeks, diced
8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup white wine
3 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups diced green beans
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup orechiette pasta
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of saffron
4 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup olive oil

In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, leeks and potatoes; sauteing for 5 minutes. Turn heat to high and add white wine. Once wine is fragrant, add chicken stock, water and salt. Reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered for 40 minutes.

Once vegetables have softened, add green beans, cannellini beans, pasta, pepper and saffron. Simmer for another 20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, mash garlic, tomato paste, basil and parmesan together in a bowl; slowly adding olive oil.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of pistou into the bottom of each bowl; ladling soup over the top. Serve with crusty bread.

*Some recipe inspiration taken from none other than Julia Child.

White Bean Soup with Sweet Potato and Spinach

I don't know about you guys, but I needed a detox. So much deep-fried turkey, too many scoops of leftovers sides and a slice more of pie than was needed. Ugh... and before you know it Christmas parties, treats and flowing wine will take over my life. My life is hard.

But in all seriousness, after returning from a morning of travel the Husband and I were both craving something both light and comforting tonight. This white bean soup packs plenty of dark, leafy spinach and a refreshing change of protein pace from all that turkey. A bit of bacon keeps it real.

I love keeping canned beans around the house, especially in winter. They can help you easily turn soups or vegetable dishes into a more filling main attraction. Good-quality parmesan gives this lots of flavor too.

Crisp up the bacon and keep the gorgeous fat in the pan. That's what you'll use to saute your veggies, infusing them with oodles of flavor.

Bacon gets a bad wrap, but the kind I buy is only about 100 calories for two slices... that's a LOT of flavor for a relatively small caloric investment.

Soften up the onions before adding garlic, sweet potatoes, rosemary and thyme.

Once the sweet potatoes have started to soften, in with the white wine. Be sure to scrape up all the delicious bits from the bottom of the pan. That's the whole reason you add the wine... to deglaze (e.g., un-glue) the brown bits from the pan.

After the soup has simmered and you're ready to serve, in with a fresh load of spinach; stirring until wilted and incorporated.

Top with your reserved bacon and a bit of fresh grated parmesan. Mentally prepare yourself for the impending holiday madness. You're gonna make it.

White Bean Soup with Sweet Potato and Spinach
1 teaspoon olive oil
3-4 slices bacon, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, chopped
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 cup dry white wine
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 15oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 parmesan rind (the part you cut off the end of the cheese)
6 cups vegetable stock
1 9oz bag fresh spinach
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

In a heavy bottom pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add bacon; cooking until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate; reserving for finished soup. Add onions to remaining fat in pan, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, sweet potato, red pepper flake, S&P and herbs to pan. Cook sweet potatoes until slightly softened, about 8-10 minutes.

Turn up heat to high and add white wine; scraping the bottom of the pan while stirring. Cook for 3 minutes before adding beans, parmesan rind and vegetable stock. Bring liquids to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 30-45 minutes or until sweet potatoes are cooked through.

Just before serving, stir in spinach to wilt. Serve soup hot with a sprinkle of parmesan and reserved bacon.

Weeknight Veg Bowl

This is why I always try to keep pre-cooked quinoa in my freezer. When weeknight dinner comes all I have to do is spend a few minutes chopping and sauteing. I started with basil turkey sausage, onion, cherry tomato and peas. 

Things got to smelling good and I found cannellini beans in the pantry and spinach in the freezer. Keeping a bag on hand is a great way to add good nutrition to any meal. It's a weekday... always good to aim for healthy.


Added some jarred pesto (I like the Trader Joe's brand) and a splash of balsamic once things started to smell good.

Remove from heat before those 'maters fall apart, but cook at least long enough for them to release their luscious juice. Serve over that quinoa you've reheated from the freezer. Add obligatory sprinkle of parm.

Don't forget the wine. You've had a hard day.

I never forget the wine.