Romaine salad with goat cheese and navy beans

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
---Spicy Cumin Vinaigrette---
2 tablespoons Fresh lime juice; about 1 medium lime
2 tablespoons Red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Cumin seed; toasted and ground (or 1 teaspoon ground cumin)
1 teaspoon Dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Fresh cilantro; roughly chopped
½ teaspoon Honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper; to taste
⅔ cup Dried navy beans; soaked overnight (or a 15-ounce can of beans)
1 Head romaine lettuce; cut into 1/2\" strips
2 Ripe tomato; cored and sliced
½ cup Loosely packed fresh basil leaves
4 ounces Goat cheese

Directions

SALAD

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk together well.

Drain the dried beans, and place them in a small saucepan with enough cold salted water to cover by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a low simmer until the beans are tender but not mushy, 1½ to 2 hours. Drain, rise with cold water, and allow to cool to room temperature. (If using canned beans, drain and rinse well).

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, beans, tomatoes, and basil. Stir the dressing well, add just enough to moisten the ingredients (you will have some dressing left over), and toss to coat. Crumble the goat cheese over the top and serve.

NOTES : This salad comes from the creative mind of Andy Husbands, who was chef at the East Coast Grill for three years. Andy is a student of the history of food, and uses his broad knowledge of culinary history to make interesting combinations. Here he brings a lot of Mediterranean flavors together in an excellent combination. The dressing also makes a nice sauce for cold pork or chicken.

Recipe by: Lettuce in Your Kitchen/C. Schlesinger & J. Willoughby Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #956 by Lynn Cage <ltcage@...> on Dec 13, 1997

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