Chef Wanabe » White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes Salad

Feb142010

White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes Salad

Filed under Appetizer,Salads,Vegetarian by Anna at 11:08 AM on Feb 14 2010

I was having a bit of an existential crisis this week or was it midlife crises? I not quite sure, but it definitely was one of them. It involved a lot of self-doubt and thinking that I’m not good enough, a sense of doom, a feeling that somewhere somebody was conspiring against me. That’s not normal right? Usually I shake those feelings easily but this last week this thing kept going on and on. So what could be better than talk things over with your best friend? That was what I did, called my BFF and started to spill the beans. Turns out she was feeling exactly the same, and we came to a conclusion that it was definitely a midlife crises. We talked for more than one hour (God bless Skype) and in the end we were laughing and saying Hey! 40s are the new 30s, right?…Right? Well… it was a great talk. I felt much better; I just wish she were living closer by.

So lets talk food shall we? I got this little book called “Pesto, Tapenades and Spreads” by Stacey Printz and I was looking for some different dressing for salads. Then I saw this tapenade recipe and decided to make a dressing of it. I used green olives instead of Kalamata olives; it was perfect for my white beans and cherry tomato salad.

White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes Salad

1 15-ounce cans of white beans, such as Great Northern or canelli beans, drained and rinsed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Lemon zest

For the Tapenade dressing:

1 cup of pitted green olives
3 anchovy fillets
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1-tablespoon capers, drained
¾ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined. Top the salad with the lemon zest. Enjoy

17 Responses to “White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes Salad”

1 Joanneon 14 Feb 2010 at 1:57 PM

What a wonderful fresh, nutritious recipe. That is sure to take away those midlife crisis….oh..wait, it isn’t a m.l.c, it’s just a blue day, right? Any-who…that salad is sure to refresh and make you feel a ton better. I hope so.
What terrific photos!
Joanne´s last blog ..CNYEats A Taste of Utica: Pizza Sauce
2 Annaon 14 Feb 2010 at 2:05 PM

Thanks Joanne, I feel much better chooing the blues with yumyness.
3 Ericaon 14 Feb 2010 at 2:26 PM

That look looks fresh, tasty and delicious!I think the midlife crisis is a women thing Good food is the perfect medicine.
4 Annaon 14 Feb 2010 at 2:32 PM

Thanks Erica, Loved your chocolate flan.
5 Divinaon 14 Feb 2010 at 5:01 PM

This is a beautiful dish. Simple yet fascinating in flavors and color. I agree, 40′s are the new 30′s. I guess it’s normal to feel that way for women, right? I do sometimes feel self-doubt at my age. But whatever happens to us women, we’re in this thing together.
6 Annaon 14 Feb 2010 at 5:11 PM

Awwww thanks Divina, you are so sweet, means a lot to me. People like you choo my blues away.
7 5 Star Foodieon 15 Feb 2010 at 5:20 AM

The salad is just lovely and very refreshing with those gorgeous cherry tomatoes!
5 Star Foodie´s last blog ..Lemon Zest Crusted Cod with Horseradish Emulsion and Sweet Grapes
8 Julianaon 15 Feb 2010 at 5:41 PM

Anna, like you sometimes I go through crisis as well…and sharing my feelings with a friend always helped Your salad looks delicious, simple and tasty, like the lemon zest on it
Juliana´s last blog ..GRILLED CHICKEN WITH PINEAPPLE JUICE
9 Dawn@CocinaSavanton 15 Feb 2010 at 6:32 PM

I love the beautiful simplicity of this dish, I can only imagine how fresh and fantastic it is, perfect for the gray skies and white ground weather we’re having your pictures are gorgeous!
Dawn@CocinaSavant´s last blog ..Daring Cooks February Challenge
10 French Cooking for Dummieson 16 Feb 2010 at 1:05 AM

Yummmm… I love bean salads! Yours looks amazing
French Cooking for Dummies´s last blog ..Green apple and Belgian endive salad
11 Debi(Table Talk)on 16 Feb 2010 at 3:32 AM

Love all the fresh, zippy flavors in this salad; helps us forget about the cold yucky weather outside!
Debi(Table Talk)´s last blog ..Valentine’s Day Chocolate and Elvis Costello
12 Jen @ My Kitchen Addictionon 16 Feb 2010 at 10:31 AM

What a beautiful salad! I picked up some cherry tomatoes at the market last week, so I just might have to make this for lunch tomorrow!
Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction´s last blog ..Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
13 silvia Gregorion 17 Feb 2010 at 8:21 PM

My kind of dish, fresh, flavorful and pretty! you picked a great plate color too. Yes I know the feeling, I have been feeling somehow like this since the beginning of the week, February is a weird month, at least that beautiful salad helps with the mood!
14 Friday Favorites – Episode 43 | my kitchen addictionon 19 Feb 2010 at 6:15 AM

[...] a bit of a cooking slump, too, and I’ve been in the mood for fresh, simple dishes. This White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes Salad from Chef Wannabe is exactly what I’ve been hungry for. It’s fresh and simple, and I’ll be making [...]
15 Annaon 19 Feb 2010 at 7:56 AM

Thanks jen, for choosing me for your faves.
16 Alinaon 22 Feb 2010 at 2:46 AM

Anna, I really admire your talent and ability to turn simple things into true works of culinary and photographic art!.. Who would have thought white beans and tomatoes could be *so* appetizing!
Alina´s last blog ..Almost Valentine’s Milk Shake
17 Annaon 22 Feb 2010 at 3:29 PM

Thanks Alina, I’m happy you like it, means a lot to me.