Beans, beans, the wonderful fruit....

So. I have stomach problems. After going to the doctor multiple times and not getting anywhere, I have decided to experiment. I truly believe that I eat too much protein. The M and I eat a lot of protein. The M is very much into working out, and lifting weights, and he believes that that is the right way for everyone to eat. I, on the other hand, really don't think I need to eat that much protein. This, along with incorporating new whole grains into our diet, has led me to come up with this completely new and innovative way of having a complete vegetarian meal! It is called ... wait for it ... salads! With beans, grains, and vegetables, mixed and marinated with some sort of "dressing." Pretty cool, huh??

Okay, so maybe this isn't a new idea, but I haven't really eaten this kind of salad before. I usually was a "salad is lettuce, carrots, salad dressing (preferably ranch or italian), and croutons" kinda gal. Then I became a burrito kinda person. Then a taco salad kinda girl. Then I was like "ooh, I could incorporate new flavors into burritos!! Make an Italian or Greek burrito!" (We have a restaurant called Willy's here that will make you a burrito-in-a-bowl, which is a full burrito (rice, beans, lettuce, everything) without the tortilla. It is HEAVEN, I tell you. Anyway, I was like "I totally could do this with different cuisines and without any meat." And so I started thinking.

This is my first attempt:



It is wheat berries, chickpeas, cucumbers, sliced bell peppers from a taco salad, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and about a teaspoon of jarred pesto. Next time, I will slice up the peppers into smaller pieces, and add more vegetables and less berries.

I have tons of grains now for this. Quinoa, buckwheat, bulghur wheat, and couscous (okay, I know that's not a grain, but it will work for this!). I also have ideas of types of beans go with what. Chickpeas go with anything, black beans go with mexican-type food, northern with Italian, and lentils with Indian or Middle Eastern. I have pesto sauce, Trader Joe's "eggplant spread" (okay, the M's Russian. They make this stuff called eggplant caviar, which is basically mashed up roasted eggplants and lots of other vegetables, and it is to-die-for. This is a slightly spicy version, and I could seriously eat it like candy), Trader Joe's Indian something, and countless ideas for dressing and sauces. To make things even better, I have a new ice cube tray specifically for dressings, so I can make a recipe for, oh, roasted garlic balsamic vinaigrette (off the top of my head), freeze individual portions, and dump a cube into my bowl when I fix my lunch in the morning. Add vegetables that go sorta with your sauce and beans, and HAVE AT IT. Happy day!

I admit, I got the idea from 101 Cookbooks' Delicious Big Bowl as well as her other "big bowl" compilations. If anyone has any other ideas, let me know!!



In other news, I tried my hand at making my own hummus. I loosely based it off of Roasted Garlic and Pesto Hummus from 28 Cooks (she's got another hummus recipe up top now, I love this woman!!), except I didn't have time to roast garlic.



It is YUMMY, and I have permission (*wink*) to make it anytime I want to now, especially for parties. Duly noted, M, duly noted. I just took 2 (14.5 oz) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed them, and whirred them in a food processor with 3 tablespoons of pesto until smooth and mixed. Eat like ice cream, if you want (as in a big bowl and a spoon).