LUNCH DATE :: WHITE BEAN AND TOMATO ARUGULA SALAD

HAPPY FRIDAY!! I can't wait for Brian to come home from work tonight and let the weekend begin. We have a family dinner tonight at my parent's house and tomorrow our first night away!!!! We're headed to see one of my best college gals get married in New Jersey - Congratulations Jackie and Joe :) As much as I can't wait to party like I'm in college again, I think I might be more excited to head to our hotel shortly after cake and sleep uninterrupted, is that bad?? #sorrynotsorry 

Today I'm going to show you how to make this delicious and healthy lunch salad. I had a friend come out of the city on Wednesday and we made this together. The most important piece of this salad is the beans. I never bought dried beans before, I've always used the can and what a difference it makes. Unless I'm in a crunch, I am a dry bean all the way now. It's like canned corn compared to fresh off the cob, an obvious difference.

Here is what you need: 

1 bag of baby arugula

1/4 lb. of dried white navy beans soaked overnight (they come in 1 lb. bags so use a quarter of the bag)

1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half

3 cloves of garlic

1 red onion

1 lemon

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

salt & pepper to taste

Here is what you do:

Soak your beans overnight in water. If you forget to do this, no biggie, you'll just need to cook the beans for about an hour until they get nice and soft.

Chop your red onion into 1/4 inch pieces and sauté them in olive oil until soft

Add your beans to the onions and stir in the juice of 1/2 lemon.

In a separate pan, sauté your garlic and add the tomatoes. Let them get nice and juicy so you get a little sauce. Add your bean mixture and stir. Taste your concoction and determine how much salt, pepper and rosemary you would like.

Toss your arugula with the remaining lemon and olive oil and plop the beans right on top. The arugula will wilt a little from the heat of the beans and this is very good. Get a nice loaf of french bread and serve! 

Bon Appétit!