Last night I discovered a nice website, The Amateur Gourmet, which is interesting because I’m going through the same phase – learning to cook a lot of good meals. He got some exposure from CNN when he made cupcakes that resembles the Janet Jackson boob episode at the Superbowl. I decided to do something similar, except not as controversial.
I wanted to make a black bean and feta cheese salad the other day, but had to postpone that plan due to unforseen events. Well today I decided to make it, and in Amateur Gourmet fashion, take pictures of each step as I do it. Read on to see the recipe and what the dish looks like.
First off, you need a 15oz. can of black beans, toss that in a big bowl (I do mean a big bowl). Chop up a large vine-ripe tomato into medium sized chunks, about 1 and 1/2 cup worth. Toss those in the bowl with the black beans:
Toss in a whole package of a 3.5oz package of crumbled Athenos feta cheese into the bowl:
Chop up 2 stalks of celery (about half a cup) and half a cup of green onions/scallions. Toss them in the bowl as well:
Cook up a cup and a half (1 1/2c) of jasmine rice. You can use any rice you want, but I prefer jasmine rice for that sweet, succulent flavor they have. It’s especially good plain with salt and lime juice on it. I’m getting ahead of myself, but go ahead and toss the cooked jasmine rice in the bowl, and mix all the ingredients together well:
Now, finally, rough chop up some parsley. I like a good liberal sprinkling of it, the recipe calls for 2 tablesppons though. I sprinkled a little more than that, I like herbs. Ground up some fresh black …. achoo! … pepper, and salt to taste:
Cover the bowl in saran wrap or aluminium foil, and refridgerate at least an hour, 3 hours for better flavor. When it comes time to eat, pour some of your favorite Italian dressing over the salad. I personally favor Ken’s Steakhouse Italian Dressing with Aged Ramano. I’m looking forward to trying this dish tonight.