Winter isn’t really a salad time of year. But the weather lately has been gorgeous, and it has me thinking spring. Nearly all of the snow piles are gone from our back yard, which unfortunately has my husband thinking “rake,” but I’m dreaming of planting those beds full of lettuce and radishes and other fresh veggie (somewhere between trying to figure out how to take care of a baby ... look, it’s an ambitious dream, I realize).
Sara Gettys has her own stay-healthy-and-on-track salad recipe coming up in Wednesday’s Fresh column in Taste, so I hope you’ll check that out. In the meantime, enjoy this kale, black bean and beet version.
I’m not huge on beets, but I love salads with beans in them, and blue cheese. I can’t wait to have this baby and be able to eat all the blue cheese I want again. This recipe comes from the Forth Worth Star-Telegram and McClatchy News Services.
Kale, Black Bean and Beet Salad
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large bunches kale, ribs removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
Sea salt and pepper
2 eggs (or 4 if making first-course salads)
1 (15-ounce) can beets in water, drained, rinsed and diced
About 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
Balsamic vinegar
Put olive oil in a large skillet, add the garlic, and turn the heat to medium. Cook until you can smell the garlic, 3-5 minutes.
Toss kale into skillet and let it cook till it just begins to wilt — just a few minutes.
Warm beans in a small saucepan over low heat.
Fill a deep skillet or saucepan with about 4 inches of water, along with a big pinch of salt, and turn the heat on high. When the water boils, turn it down to a simmer. Crack each egg into a small glass bowl individually and gently slide the egg from the bowl into the barely bubbling water. Set a timer for 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the egg and place it on a paper towel to absorb the moisture while you assemble the salad.
Divide the still-warm kale onto the plates, top with a spoonful (or two) of the black beans and the same amount of beets. Carefully place a poached egg on top of each salad. Sprinkle with blue cheese, add dashes of sea salt and pepper, and lightly drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Nutritional information per serving, based on 2: 575 calories, 24 grams fat, 51 grams carbohydrates, 28 grams protein, 233 milligrams cholesterol, 661 milligrams sodium, 16 grams dietary fiber, 38 percent of calories from fat.