simple salad

I love creating simple recipes to be packed and eaten in the outdoors. My perspective on cooking is that recipes should be simple, minimally processed, and full of flavor. Simplicity allows you to taste the quality ingredients by balancing few complimentary ingredients. This salad is as simple as it gets, and the quality of the ingredients is what makes it. For this reason, I think it is very important to cook the garbanzo beans from dried beans. I won’t make any guarantees if you use canned beans.

The process of cooking garbanzo beans is as simple as it gets. It’s not rocket science. Yes it takes a slight amount of planning, but if you can walk and chew gum at the same time, you’ll be able to do it. Just try it.

Here’s the 2 step process for making garbanzo beans from scratch:

1. Soak garbanzo beans for 8-12 hours in a pot. You can do any amount you want. Just remember that they’ll double in size.
2. Drain and rinse. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then turn to medium low for 30-40 minutes. Stop freaking out. It’s not hard.

Chicken Recipe

• 2 chicken breasts cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 5 cloves garlic
• palm full of fresh thyme

1. Cut chicken breasts into cubes
2. Finely chop garlic and thyme
3. Marinate in white balsamic vinegar, garlic and thyme
4. Add JUST THE CHICKEN without the marinade to the biggest pan you have on medium high. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn heat down to brown it a bit and evaporate the juices. Then add the rest of the marinade and cook for 5 more minutes and stir every 2 minutes.
5. Refrigerate to cool down.

Salad

• 2 cups garbanzo beans
• 1 Romain heart
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil

1. Add lime juice, white balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil in a small mason jar and shake to combine.
2. Finely chop Romain lettuce.
3. Slightly mash garbanzo beans with a fork. The dressing will get picked up better in the bean this way.
4. Combine garbanzo beans, lettuce, and dressing.

If you are going to eat this out on a picnic, or if you taking it to work don’t combine dressing with the salad. Just keep it in the jar and add it to the salad when you get there. This will ensure the lettuce it is fresh and crispy.