Beans and Greens Tartines

So, this has kinda been a theme with my recent recipes (and cooking), but this recipe came about one night when my partner had a friend over to stay the night before they returned to a gig outside of the city the next morning. I knew this was going to happen, but that doesn't mean I knew it was going to happen, in so far as I failed to plan a meal to feed three - including two hungry men who had been doing some pretty hard-core manual labor all day. Now, I'm sure they both would have been fine with some frozen chick'n nuggets and tots, but I will not feed my guests tots and nugs. Fortunately, because I am the kind of person I am (i.e. often ill-prepared), I had enough stuff on hand to pull this together, and it has become a weeknight favorite ever since.

One of the truly fantastic things about this recipe is that it is not only easy but incredibly forgiving. In the picture, for example, I used black beans and standard kale. However, the night I first made this, I used cannellini beans and cavolo nero. Chickpeas and chard? Perfect. Lima beans and calalu? Awesome. Pinto beans and dandelion greens? Loved it. Fava and spinach? Delightful. Whatever you have on hand will do just fine. You can mix up the herbs and spices to keep whatever is in your fridge from turning or to add some extra flare. The recipe below is truly just a guideline.

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Ingredients

• 1.5 cups cooked (equivalent to 1 can) beans

• 0.25 t garlic powder

• pinch of salt

• pepper to taste

• a pinch of red pepper flakes

• juice of half a lemon

• 1 bunch or about 3 cups of greens (sturdy varieties like cavolo nero, kale, and chard work great - consider upping it to 4-5 cups if using something more fragile like spinach)

• 1 T olive oil

• sturdy, crusty bread, lightly toasted (consider giving this sourdough recipemashy for something truly special)

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized bowl, smash the beans up, leaving some chunks. Mix in garlic powder, salt, pepper, about half the lemon juice, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Set aside

2. If cooking with a green with thick stalks, separate the leaves from the stalks. Chop them as thin as you are comfortable with, then roll the leaves up like a cigar and thinly slice. If you're using a green with thin stalks (e.g. spinach), just roll them all up like a cigar and slice.

3. Heat the oil in a pan and add the stalks, if separated. Fry over medium heat until tender, then add the leaves and heat until wilted. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice, and mix in a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired.

4. Spread the bean mash over slices of toasted, crusty bread and top with the greens.

Extra recipe!

In the picture, you can also see a super basic salad that I like to pull together on "I really don't want to cook" nights. Personally, I'm not a huge salad person, so I like to make salads with a non-lettuce base. This one takes literal seconds to come together. All you need is...

• A can of your favorite corn (or about three ears of fresh corn, removed from the cobb)

• A handful of cherry tomatoes (you can slice them in halves or quarters, or just throw them in as is)

• Your favorite mayo (plant-based, of course, if keeping vegan)

• Red pepper, chili powder, or cayenne pepper

• A squeeze of lime (or lemon, if that's all you have)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Any other herbs that catch your fancy

To make, literally just mix everything together in a bowl and serve. I always just eyeball the amount of mayo, based on how I'm feeling in the moment. This salad is a great addition to the above recipe as it rounds out the meal, but doesn't take a bunch more time.