Food: Meatless Monday- Holiday Reprieve

not food, but technically vegetarian.

If you need a little reprieve from all of the holiday eating and cooking (and I know I do), this week’s Meatless Monday recipe should do the trick. It’s quick, healthy (no cream in this one- surprise!), and even though it isn’t much to look at, it’s really delicious. (Seriously, it’s not photogenic. I took a bunch of pictures and I thought all of them would dissuade even the most devoted vegetarian from cooking this, so I’m not posting any. But it really is good, I promise.) I believe I got the basis for this recipe years ago from a Moosewood cookbook – an excellent resource for anyone doing Meatless Monday.

MM Cannellini Beans and Tomatoes
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans – drained, not rinsed
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
salt to taste
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley

Saute garlic and shallot in a tbsp of olive oil. Once soft, add cannellini beans and heat through. Add lemon juice, stir. Add tomatoes and parsley, simmer for 10 minutes. Salt to taste. Voila.

This is good as is, but if you want some starch, a good option is quick cook polenta. Pick up a package of “instant” polenta – the directions will say to cook it in boiling water, but I find skim milk gives it a richer flavor while still keeping it low in fat. Of course, adding a few pats of butter never hurt…