California BLT and Mexican Bean Salad

As I sit here writing this blog, I'm currently finishing off the rest of the Mexican bean salad (well, that's only partly true...it made so much that I froze half of it! So I'm only finishing off the non-frozen portion.). We had BLTs with avocado and Mexican bean salad for dinner Tuesday night. First, I was excited to find this BLT recipe because we both LOVE avocado. Our first week in California, we consumed 4 avocados...4! Once I realized that, I tried to cut back on our intake a bit but they are so creamy and such a good source of monounsaturated fat and potassium.

Another reason why I was excited about the BLT is that we have great homemade bread (recipe courtesy of my dad). Since we've been in California, my husband has started to get into bread baking (I obviously do not complain). He's made two batches (one whole wheat loaf bread and one whole wheat cinnamon boule), both of which have been extremely successful! He's planning to bake more this Sunday because we've already devoured all of his bread.

So if you're going to have a recipe with only a few ingredients, they really should be high quality. With homemade bread, farmers market tomatoes and ripe avocados, it was the perfect time for this sandwich. Of course, I nixed the mayo and threw on a few Heinz Genuine dill pickles because that's just what my family does. They were great (even though I finished off half of a sandwich, I don't think one sandwich was quite enough for my husband so just a heads up).

California BLT
Taken from: Ina Garten

• 4 slices of bacon
• 4 slices of whole-wheat bread
• 2 lettuce leaves (we like Romaine for the crunch)
• 1 tomato, cut into 4 whole slices
• 1 avocado, cut into 1/2 in. thick slices
• Lemon juice
• Salt & pepper
• Extra toppings: mayo, dijon mustard, pickles, etc.

-Prep all ingredients and toss avocado slices in lemon juice to prevent browning.
-Cook bacon in frying pan over medium high heat until browned. Let drain on a plate covered with a paper towel.
-On a baking sheet, place the 4 slices of bread and broil for 1-2 minutes until browned, checking every 20-30 seconds. Flip slices over and broil for 1 more minute.
-On one of the slices, pile lettuce, bacon, tomato, avocado, salt and pepper and any extra toppings. Place second slice on top and serve.

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I really like bean salads. They're typically fresh and it's a great way to get protein and fiber. This bean salad was no exception but a word of caution - it makes a lot of salad! I put this in a medium sized bowl and it was filled to the brim. I ended up freezing half of the bean salad (I'm not sure how well they freeze but we'll find out!) because I didn't want us to be eating beans for days (maybe weeks). At first, I thought the spices were a bit overpowering but the longer the salad sat, the better the spices melded with the dish. So if you don't like spices, go easy on the cumin and chili powder.

Mexican Bean Salad
Taken from: A Hint of Honey blog

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  **You could also add avocado, corn or tomatoes.

-In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, onion, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Add oil mixture to large bowl and toss to combine. Allow the salad to sit for a few hours to let the flavors meld together.