Day 3 didn't count.... Day 4: White Bean and Sausage Salad

Day 3 of the "LGRFSaDaB" diet was a blow-out.  Why?  Because it was Girls & Grapes night (my wine club).  Not that it was "unhealthy" per se, since the theme was "Earth-Friendly Wines" and we all know that wine is good for you (in moderation, but who's counting?)... but let's just say there was a lot of cheese involved.

Anywhoo...

Day 4: White Bean and Sausage Salad
Now, I know what you're thinking... "Sausage? Healthy? I think not!"  Please, let me explain - 4oz of dried italian sausage is roughly 400 calories and 16g saturated fat... not the greatest if you plan on eating the whole thing.  But I used that 4oz to make 4 portions (leftover lunches!).  Let me know if I'm wrong, but 100 calories, 4g fat and TONS OF FLAVOR is A-O-fine in my book.  Plus, all the great fiber and nutrients from the beans and veggies has to count on the "plus" side, right? 

On with the recipe:


1) Make hard-boiled eggs: Seriously, if you don't know how to do this yourself I'll cry a little... but here's what I did anyway.

* boil water
* add 2 eggs
* return to boil, then immediately remove from heat
* let sit ~10min or until you're done with the rest of the recipe
* when ready to eat, dump out the hot water, add cool water and ice cubes to the pot, let eggs cool down, crack the shell, peel, and chop into quarters.

2) While the eggs are hard-boiling, mix the following in a bowl:

Small white beans - I used dried 'cuz they're cheaper, but 1-2 cans is probably equivalent
4oz dried sausage (chorizo would be awesome but I couldn't find any)
1/4c diced red onion
1/2c diced red bell pepper
10 chopped Kalamata olives
1/4c chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp dried oregano
1-2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lime
1/4c extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

3) Make salad:

I thinly sliced 2 radishes for garnish & peppery crunch. 

Final step, I lined bowls with the rest of my Boston lettuce from Day 1 and piled 1-1.5 cups of the bean salad on top. Garnished with sliced radishes and hard-boiled egg.  Yum! 

I enjoyed this with a Marlborough Sauvingnon Blanc, but I think it could have stood up to a spicy but light red as well (Zinfindel or Grenache perhaps?). 

Reed and I really enjoyed this.  Very filling, very flavorful, and decently healthy!  I can foresee many delicious variations on this too... black beans with corn, red onion, green chilies, avocado, chorizo and mexican spices.... or cannelli beans with tuna, red peppers, onion, balsamic vinegar, oregano and parsley... the list goes on and on :)