sauteed kale salad with whole wheat penne pasta and great northern beans

Just before January 1, I resolved to eat better. A glimpse of myself in the JC Penney dressing room mirror convinced me that I had to do something. Not something drastic, not something quick, just something in general. Taking a prompt from Mark Bittman, I resolved to become vegetarian before 6pm (I don’t think I have the energy to go vegan).

This resolution brings up a couple problems. First, I don’t really know how to cook vegetarian. It takes a slightly different mindset than what I’m used to. There’s no central protein around which to build a meal. In fact, vegetarian eating tends to encourage grazing. A snack here and there, and at dinner time, several dishes from which to pick and choose. The second problem is much more practical. I can’t take leftovers for lunch. Garlic chicken thighs don’t become vegetables just because I take them out of the fridge and they’re fully cooked. I find myself having to come up with recipes and dishes that are easy to make, that keep well, and that I can transform across a couple days into delicious, reasonably healthy lunches. I’m hoping the reasonably can be dropped as I become more comfortable with the new menu.

For my first go, I thought I’d try to create a bean salad that I could use in a number of dishes. it worked, and I’m happy to report that great northern beans in what amounts to a heated balsamic vinaigrette are utterly fantastic and extremely versatile.

Great northern bean salad

Beans:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic (3 for extra flavor)
• 1 medium shallot
• 16 oz. cooked great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt,
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup pasta water

Pasta:

• 1 package spinach rotini
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

Cook the pasta as per the directions on the package, just make sure you salt your water (1 1/2 tablespoons for the recommended water amount on the package). While the pasta cooks, heat good quality extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. As it heats, mince the garlic and shallot. Toss them into the pan and let them saute for a couple minutes, until the garlic just begins to brown. Watch carefully, though. If the garlic begins to burn, it’s too late.

Add the beans (yes, canned is okay), the salt and the oregano, stir until the beans are heated through, add the vinegar, let it sizzle a couple seconds, then add the pasta water and the pepper.

Toss with the pasta and you’ve made meal one. (When I made this dish, I used the whole wheat penne we had in the pantry. If I did it again, I probably would use a spinach pasta since the birch colored beans would offset nicely against the dark green pasta.)

For lunch the second day, I sauteed kale, tossed the cooked kale with the bean and pasta mixture and had an amazing lunch. And sauteed greens are about as easy a thing as you can make:

Again, heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium high. When the oil begins to shimmer, but before it begins to smoke, add about three good-sized portions of kale (or other green). Add two healthy pinches of kosher salt, and use a wooden spoon to shove the kale around the pan to ensure even cooking (for those writing down measurements, figure four packed cups of kale, a teaspoon of kosher salt). When the kale has cooked down some–probably about half its original volume, add some lemon juice, and toss with a cup of your pasta salad. Seriously awesome.