White Beans with Pickled Red Onions and Toasted Walnuts
DESCRIPTION
The combination of white beans and walnuts creates a fiber-filled salad, good at anytime of the year!
Ingredients
- 3 (15-ounce) cans white pea beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and thoroughly drained
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon minced or crushed garlic
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
- Pickled Red Onions (recipe follows)
- 1/2 cup California walnuts, toasted and minced
For the Pickled Red Onions:
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons honey, agave nectar, or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon bruised peppercorns (just hit them hard with a bowl. It's fun!)
- 4 medium-sized firm red onions, very thinly sliced with an exquisitely sharp knife
Preparation
- Combine the beans, oil, vinegar, salt, garlic, and black pepper to taste. Mix gently, cover, and chill.
- Stir in the fresh herbs within ten minutes of serving. Top each serving with Pickled Red Onions and walnuts.
For the Pickled Red Onions:
- Put up a kettle of water to boil.
- Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, water, sweetener-of-choice, salt, and peppercorns in a bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Place the onion slices in a large bowl. When the water boils, pour all of it onto the onions and let them sit for 5 minutes, causing them to wilt slightly. Drain well and transfer the onions to the marinade.
- Cover and marinate – at room temperature or in the refrigerator - for at least several hours (but can be days or weeks as well). Store in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator. This keeps indefinitely!