Chickpea Salad

Bean salads are the ultimate portable vegetarian lunch. They are high in protein and fiber from the beans, vitamins and minerals from the vegetables and herbs, and don't need to be kept refrigerated — although an ice pack in the lunch bag is a good idea.

This week, we're taking this chickpea salad with cilantro and celery to work. It doesn't have a lot of dressing on it, so we're less likely to drip oil on our shirts, and it's full of fresh flavors and crunchy textures that make it a pleasure to eat.

You can take this recipe as a guide and switch out ingredients depending on what is in your fridge: parsley and mint for the cilantro, green peppers and radishes for the celery, scallions for the red onion. With bean salads, the possibilities are endless.

I particularly like the munchiness of chickpeas, but I've yet to find a dried bean that doesn't make a good salad. The key is to cook them until they are tender, not mushy. You can use canned beans, of course, but they don't taste quite as good.

Dried beans are worth getting to know. If you have a pressure cooker, you can cook up a batch of chickpeas in under half an hour. Or you can cook them in the slow cooker overnight. Or simmer them for a few hours on the back burner of the stove. Extra beans can be frozen, although when they're defrosted they're better in stews and soups than in salads — the freezing makes them a little mushy.

Once the beans are cooked, it's a snap to toss them with dressing and vegetables for a mouthwatering dish that will fill the lunch box for a few days.

Chickpea Salad
1 cup dried chick peas (or 2 cans)

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves

2 tbsp chopped red onion

salt and pepper

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

Cook and drain the chickpeas. Put them in a bowl and add the two vinegars and plenty of salt and pepper. Let come to room temperature.

Stir in the celery, cilantro and red onion. Toss well. Pour the olive oil over top and toss again.

Serves 4-6.

Zesty Potato Salad

When we barbecued last Friday, I was concerned the black bean burgers would be dry and boring so I made this zesty potato salad to go along side.

Fortunately the burgers were fine. But this potato salad almost stole the show. It has lashings of tabasco and mustard to make it interesting. I used our homemade keffir in the dressing — plain Greek yogurt is fine if you aren't growing your own keffir.

Zesty Potato Salad

2 lbs yukon gold potatoes
1 1/4 cups kefir

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tsp tabasco

1 tsp dijon

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Scrub the potatoes well and cook them, whole, until tender all the way through. This will take 15 to 25 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Drain and let cool a little so you don't burn your fingers, then peel and cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients. Whisk together well.

Stir in potatoes. It will seem like a lot of dressing, but the potatoes will absorb much of it.

Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors. Add salt and pepper or more tabasco as needed.

Serves 6

Black Bean Burgers

I've made many bean burgers over the years, but I've never cooked one on a barbecue because I feared they would fall apart.

Last Friday, continuing the expanding of my horizons inspired by Elizabeth Orsini's book From Garden to Grill, I made these black bean burgers and handed them to Larry to cook over the coals. He was dubious at first, but they did cook up beautifully.

Orsini says that the key to a making a veggie burger hold together is squeezing the vegetables dry before you add the beans: too much moisture and they fall apart. It seems quite obvious once she's said it, but since I spent my life trying to make burgers that were moist on the inside, it never occurred to me.

These burgers did hold together well on the grill, but I thought they were dry on the inside. Larry didn't. (He put our homemade salsa on his burger — maybe that's the secret.)

We didn't use buns. Instead we saved room for the sides: grilled shisito peppers, green beans from our garden, and a great salad of grilled corn and tomatoes also inspired by From Garden to Grill.

We only grilled two of the four burgers this recipe makes. We kept the others in the fridge to eat at another barbecue Sunday night. There's nothing like eating outside on summer evenings.

Black Bean Burgers
2/3 cup black beans (or 1 14-oz can)
1 stick celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 eggs
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 cup bread crumbs

Rinse the black beans and cook until tender (about 20 minutes in the pressure cooker or 90 minutes simmering on the stove). Make sure they're soft before you drain them. Drain the beans and pour them onto a kitchen towel. Roll them up and press gently to dry them.

Use a food processor to chop the celery, red onion and garlic very fine. Pour them into a strainer and squeeze out the excess water (your plants will enjoy the water).

Put the beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until only a few lumps remain. Stir in the drained vegetables.

Whisk the eggs with the cumin and chili powder. Stir into the bean mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs. The mixture should hold together well.

Divide the mixture into 4 and shape into patties. Put on a plate, cover with wax paper, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or up to a couple of days) until ready to cook on the grill.

Grill over high heat (hand can be held over the rack for 4 seconds) for about 8 minutes per side.

Serve with salsa or ketchup. Avocado would be great too.

Serves 4.

Organic Celery

When I see organic celery at the Hollywood Farmers Market, I always grab a bunch.

Celery is one of the vegetables which contains heavy pesticide residue if not grown organically. There are months of the year I don't use celery because it disappears from the organic stalls at the market.

When I get a bunch home, I cut the leaves off so they don't draw juiciness from the stalks. Usually I add the leaves to the compost heap. I never feel bad about composting organic vegetables — my own vegetable garden appreciates the food.

However the other day I tried something new. I rinsed and dried the leaves, double-bagged them, and threw them in the freezer. I'll use them straight from the freezer in soups and stews. They'll add the celery flavor — a slight bitterness — although not the texture of the celery stalks.

And when I make vegetable stock this week, I'll use some of the frozen leaves in place of the precious stalks of celery I usually add.

Bean and Barley Salad

It was hot on Sunday but I was determined that we would eat lunch outside.

So as the main course I served a chilled bean and barley salad. Fresh herbs added zest to the complete protein of beans and grains. I had planned to scatter feta over the top, but I forgot. It was still yummy. (I would have used about 2oz diced feta.)

Barley is best known as a soup grain, but it makes a lovely salad — more interesting and less dry than rice.

This salad is also good with black beans. And the herbs and vegetables can be swapped out for whatever is in your fridge.

The salad lasts well for a few days - I'll be eating the leftovers for lunch this week.

Bean and Barley Salad
2/3 cup chickpeas or other beans (or 2 14-oz cans)
1 cup barley
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 tsp grated lemon rind
3 tbsp lemon juice

Cook the chickpeas until tender. (In a pressure cooker it will take 22 minutes. In a pot of boiling water, 2-3 hours.) Drain and set aside to cool. (Or drain and rinse the canned beans.)

Cook barley in simmering water until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, parsley, mint, celery and red onion. Stir in the chickpeas and barley. Toss with the lemon rind and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper (more salt than you might think — the barley can take a lot).

Chill until ready to serve.

Garnish with watercress, nasturtium flowers and feta if desired.

Bean Salad with Celery and Cilantro

Bean salads are great in bagged lunches. They are a good source of protein and they travel well. This week we've been eating this refreshing salad made with celery and cilantro.

I sometimes make it using chickpeas or kidney beans or tongue of fire beans or pinquitos. This time I used Trail of Tears because I had them in the cupboard and I thought the color contrast would be pretty.

The soft beans play against the crunch of the celery and red onion. I like the cilantro, but sometimes I use chopped gherkins instead.

The key is to toss the beans with the dressing while they are still warm. They then absorb some of the dressing as they cool down and become really flavorful.

Bean Salad with Celery and Cilantro
1 cup dried Trail of Tears beans
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp chopped red onion (or more to taste)
3 tbsp olive oil

Pick over the beans, discarding any that you don't like the look of. Rinse them, then put in a pot with water to cover by 2-4 inches, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently until tender. This will take 1-3 hours depending on the age and type of bean.

(Alternatively use 2 14-oz cans of beans. Drain and rinse them then continue. But they won't taste quite as good.)

Drain the cooked beans and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the vinegars and some salt and pepper. Toss gently and let the beans sit at room temperature until they are cool enough to eat.

Stir in the celery, cilantro, red onion and olive oil. Toss well. Season with more salt and pepper as needed.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 4-6

Bean and Kale Soup

With actual cool, dark evenings, I'm enjoying serving hot soup for dinner.

A good soup that sticks to the ribs is also a great lunch after a morning of gardening, especially if the soup includes beans and greens.

Here's the soup I made last week. It lasted us many days, and continued to get better with age. I'll be making it often this winter.

As with all good soups, the ingredients can vary depending on what you have in the fridge. I used pinto beans because they're a great size on a soup spoon, but you can use whatever smallish beans you have on hand. Half the beans are puréed to give some body to the soup. This is not essential, but a nice touch.

Plus I had beet greens in the fridge so I stirred them in. Chard, spinach, turnip greens or even rutabaga greens would work just as well.

I defrosted some vegetable stock to use in the soup. You could use all water if needed, just make sure it totals 6 cups, and add a little extra salt or a spoonful of tamari to give some umami. If you don't have fresh herbs, use dried but cut down the amount by a third until you taste and see if you like it.

Bean and Kale Soup

1 cup pinto beans

¼ cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 small carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

4 cups stemmed and shredded curly kale

1 potato, peeled and diced

2 ½ cups stock plus 3 ½ cups water

greens from 1 bunch of beets, chopped, about 2 cups

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp minced rosemary leaves

1 tbsp minced parsley

1 tsp minced thyme

parmesan to serve (opt)

Soak beans for a couple of hours. Drain, cover with water and cook until tender, about 2 hours. Drain. Process half the beans in the food processor with a little water until puréed. Set aside the puréed beans and the whole beans separately.

Sauté onion, carrots and celery in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add kale, potato, puréed beans, stock and water. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add beet greens, cherry tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, parsley and thyme. Season to taste. Simmer another hour until the greens are tender and the flavors are well blended. Add extra water if necessary. (This should be a thick soup.)

Stir in reserved whole beans. Warm through. Season to taste.

Serve topped with grated parmesan if desired.

Serves 8 - 10

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

It's been chilly in LA this week - in the high 60s - great gardening weather. And in the cool evenings, the warmth of this baked lentil casserole has been welcome.

Green lentils are a good substitute for ground meat in chili - they add a similar texture. In this version of shepherd's pie they replace the ground lamb (or whatever meat is generally used). This is a filling casserole that is even better the second day.

Feel free to vary it by adding corn (traditional in the French Canadian version inexplicably called Pâté Chinois) or other vegetables. And if the mashed potato topping is your favorite part, double the number of potatoes you use. Add chiles or hot pepper (or serve hot sauce on the side) if you'd like a dish with a little kick.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie
1 cup green or brown lentils
4 medium potatoes
1 large onion
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
14-oz can tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce)
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp chopped parsley
paprika
2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes (Bragg's is a good brand)

Pick over lentils, discarding any small stones or clumps of dirt. Rinse them, then add to a pot with at least 3 cups of boiling water. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes. Check occasionally and add more water if necessary to keep them well covered. Drain and set aside.

Peel and chop potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with cold water and a sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes depending on the size of the potato chunks. Drain and mash. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Chop onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Warm olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the vegetables for a few minutes until the onion is starting to get translucent. Add a splash of water, cover the skillet, and let the vegetables simmer until tender, another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the tomato sauce, soy sauce, parsley and cooked lentils. Put in a 2-quart casserole.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the lentil mixture. Pat down with a fork - making a decorative pattern if you like. Sprinkle with paprika and nutritional yeast.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling.

Serves 6-8

Celery Salad

The other night I wanted a crisp crunchy side dish to go with a buckwheat casserole, and this celery salad fit the bill beautifully.

Best of all, the leftovers were excellent for lunch the next day. I love a recipe that goes above and beyond.

I combined the celery with a tart Granny Smith apple, then tossed it in a full-flavored honey mustard vinaigrette. Some toasted walnuts rounded out the dish.

It's a good winter salad. Just remember that celery is a heavily-pesticided vegetable, so only eat it if it's certified organic.

Celery Salad
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/3 cup olive oil
6 large stalks celery
1 granny smith apple
1/3 cup walnuts

Whisk together lemon juice, mustard and honey. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Set aside.

Wash celery. Separate stems from leaves. Slice the stems in long thin diagonal slices. Mince leaves to make about half a cup. Cut apple in quarters, remove the cores, then slice crosswise into thin triangular pieces.

Toast the walnuts over medium heat until aromatic, about 3 minutes. Chop coarsely.

Combine the celery stems and leaves, apple and walnuts. Toss with dressing to taste. Serve extra dressing on the side.

Serves 3-4