Bean salad and Tuna Tomato Polenta

Four Bean Salad

• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Servings: 10
  

Ingredients

• 1 (19 ounce) cans chickpeas
• 1 (14 ounce) cans green beans
• 1 (14 ounce) cans wax beans
• 1 (19 ounce) cans red kidney beans
• 1 red bell peppers ( any colour can be used)
• 1 small red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• ½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
  

  DRESSING

• ²⁄₃; cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup canola oil
• ½ cup granulated sugar ( use less if desired)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  

Directions

1. Drain a 19-oz tin of chick peas (garbanzo beans), rinse well, then drain again; place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Drain a 14-oz tin of green beans and a 14-oz tin of wax beans well and then add to bowl.
3. Drain a 19-oz tin of red kidney beans, rinse well then drain again; add to bowl.
4. Dice up a coloured bell pepper (red, orange or yellow, I don't use green as I don't like them much) and add to beans.
   

5. Peel a small red onion and slice into very thin strips and add to bowl.
6. Lastly, add about 1/2 cup of chopped fresh flatleaf parsley.
7. Now make dressing: in a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegars, oil, sugar (I use a scant 1/2 cup), minced fresh garlic, worcestershire, and salt and pepper.
8. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and toss.
9. Cover and refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally (before serving, taste, as it may need more salt).
10. When ready, spoon bean salad into a serving bowl using a slotted spoon, to drain off most of the dressing before serving.
    
    
    
    Tuna Tomato Polenta
    
    
    3/4 cup cornmeal
    1/4 cup cold water
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
    1 1/2 cups boiling water
    1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
    2 cans (6 1/2 ounces each) tuna, drained and flaked
    1 medium stalk celery, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
    1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
    3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    Sliced ripe olives
    Mix cornmeal, cold water, salt and garlic salt thoroughly in 1 quart saucepan. Stir in boiling water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Spread cornmeal in ungreased baking dish, 11 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches. Refrigerate until firm, about 8 hours.
    Heat oven to 350°. Mix tomato sauce, tuna, celery and basil. Spread 2/3 of the tuna mixture in ungreased baking dish, 12 x 8 x 1 3/4 or 13 1/3 x 8 3/4 x 1 3/4 inches. Cut cornmeal into 10 parts; place on tuna mixture in dish. Top cornmeal with remaining tuna mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 25 minutes. Garnish with olives. 10 servings.
    
    
    
     
    The bean salad picture looks about as boring and bland as it possibly could. I found a different recipe and followed it pretty close, but I cut back on the sugar. The original recipe called for hard-boiled eggs, and I'd recently read that eggs that are baked are creamier than if they're boiled.
    Let me tell you, it's not worth the bother. They're really hard to peel, and after a couple of days in the fridge they look more like an animal left them behind (if you know what i mean).
    Here are the beans, bell peppers and red onion.
    
    
    And the dressing. I poured it all together last night to let the various flavors blend.
    
    
    While that's blending, let's get the Tuna Tomato stuff going. I made the polenta last night.
    
    
    
    Here's the tuna, tomato sauce, etc.
    
    It smelled kind of... well, not great, so I added some garlic.
    Here it is spread on the bottom of my new dish (thanks, Lori).
     
    Polenta on top:
    
    And a little more tuna/tomato mixture, and some parmesan cheese. Then into the oven.
    
    
    
     Out of the oven, and I added the last of my black olives.
    
    
    Let's serve it up!
    
    
    
    Hmmmm.... It doesn't look like much.
    
    How is the musical fruit? Let's find out.
    
    
    Wow! It doesn't suck!
    
    
    
    How about some tuna?  It smells about like I figured it would.
    
    
     It tastes....
    
    
    Actually, it's not too bad. Of course, if you don't like tuna, you won't like this stuff. But if you're observing Lent, you could do worse than this stuff. At least I think you could.
    
    
    Okay, so I got lucky this week. My biggest concern is the effect the beans may have on me tomorrow. Makes me wish i had a window in my office.
    
    Until next week, bon appetite!