White Bean Salad with Lemon Basil Pesto Dressing

Lately I've been making a lot of the same recipes we've already posted, sorry for that! Roasted veggies and chicken/fish are just one of those things I can eat repeatedly and not get sick of. Thankfully my morning trip to the local farmer's market inspired me to make something new! This recipe is a great "make ahead" and eat throughout the week in various ways kind of meal. I'll illustrate this throughout the week as I eat my own leftovers!

The following recipe can be used eaten as a  meal or side dish. It can be incorporated into a pasta salad or eaten plain. Ingredients can even be swapped out. Just have fun with it and use what you have. Since my Ninja blender was already on the counter I decided to make my pesto using it. Here's the recipe.

Before 

Lemon Basil Pesto:
-3/4 cup pine nuts
-3 or 4 cups fresh whole basil leaves
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1/8-1/4 cup lemon juice (i used between this amt)
-1/4 cups olive oil
-2 pinches of salt
-1 tsp garlic (powder or fresh)




Throw all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and let it whirl. I pulsed the ingredients without the olive oil first but if you don't want to do that, it'll be fine. Pour the pesto into an airtight container and put it to the side (this will make about 1-2 cups pesto).

after

White Bean Salad:

White Bean Salad

-1/2 large english cucumber (diced)
-1 1/2 large carrots (diced)
-1 small red pepper (diced)
-9 baby bell mushrooms (diced)
-1 cup diced tomatoes
-1 can of white beans (drained and rinsed, no salt added)

Mix all the diced veggies and beans together in a bowl or tupperware.

Croutons

Rustic Croutons:

-1/2 a small loaf of sourdough multigrain bread

-pam spray

Cube up the bread and spray it with pam spray or a misto full of olive oil. Then place on cookie sheet and broil on High. You'll need to watch these because they won't take long, really only a few minutes!

Salad + Wine :)

How I served my meal:

I started with a bed of spinach in a plate and set it aside. Then in a separate bowl I mixed the portion of salad and pesto I wanted for this meal and added it on top of the spinach. I also added rustic croutons on top and a drizzle of fig balsamic vinegar. DELISH!