White Bean Salad with Tuna and Parsley

Anyone who's read my blog probably has heard me rave on about my love for cilantro, and it's certainly a flavor I've had a long term relationship with. But did you realize that I've also had an ongoing fling with parsley too? In fact, if I had to decide my second favorite herb, I'm not sure if it would be parsley or basil. Since none of the herbs are showing their faces in my yard yet, I recently purchased a lovely bunch of parsley and used it as inspiration to create this bean salad. I can already tell, this is something I'll be making over and over.

Besides parsley, the salad was also about the Italian tuna packed in olive oil that I'd been wanting to try for the longest time. It was this tuna salad from the lovely S'kat that made me realize there was a whole world of tuna I didn't know about. I can't believe it took me so long to try it. I think it was Elise's pasta with tuna, inspired by Sher's pasta with tuna, that pushed me over the edge into tuna fantasies this week.

Did I love the Italian Tuna packed in olive oil even though it was a lot more expensive than the cans I usually buy at Costco? My wallet is sorry to report that I took one bite and never looked back. The tuna in this salad tasted amazing. Does that mean you can't make a good salad with this recipe if all you have is regular oil-packed tuna from the supermarket. Don't be silly, of course it doesn't. But do try the Italian tuna at least once before you die!

I've written about parsley many times for Weekend Herb Blogging and even confessed that I kind of prefer the curly type, especially for a salad like this one where you want texture. Parsley is one of The World's Healthiest Foods, and it's one of the few herbs that you can buy year round at reasonable prices. Many people don't realize that there are actually three types of parsley. Parsley is a biennial plant, but it will drop seeds and return year after year in the garden once it's established. If you're planting seeds the first time, parsley takes an incredibly long time to sprout, so be patient. If you soak the seeds in water for 24 hours before you plant them, it will help speed it up a bit.

White Bean Salad with Tuna and Parsley

(Makes 2-3 servings, recipe created by Kalyn, inspired by many other salads)

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained well
1 can Italian tuna in olive oil
(or any tuna packed in oil will work)
1 cup chopped curly parsley
(or less if you don't love parsley like I do)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion

Dressing:
3 T good quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
black pepper and sea salt to taste

Put beans in colander and rinse well with cold water, until no more foam appears. Let drain, then pat dry with paper towels. Drain oil from tuna and discard, then put tuna in mixing bowl. Add beans, chopped parsley, and diced onion, and gently combine. (Don't overstir, you want the tuna to stay a bit chunky.)

In small bowl, wisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Gently mix dressing into salad. If you prefer your salads on the dry side, you may not want all the dressing. Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper and sea salt and serve. This will stay good in the refrigerator for at least a day or two, but it probably won't last that long.

(News flash, added 4-25-07: the lovely Lisa from Champaign Taste tried the salad and come up with a delicious sounding variation. Check it out!)

South Beach Suggestions:
This salad would be fine for any phase of the South Beach Diet, but I'd probably eat it for phase two or three. This salad would be great for a picnic, served with something like Curried Stuffed Eggs and Wake Up Your Mouth Thai Cucumber Salad.

More Great Salads with Parsley:
(recipes from other blogs may not be South Beach Friendly, check ingredients)
Cucumber, Onion, and Parsley Salad
Kalyn's Tabbouli with Almonds
Middle Eastern Tomato Salad
Zucchini, Tomato, and Parsley Salad from Stephen Cooks
Chickpea and Parsley Salad from Accidental Hedonist
Parsley Potato Salad from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once
Quinoa Kedgeree from Just Hungry
Green Potato Salad with Pine Nuts from Lucullian Delights
Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad from Smitten Kitchen
Green Goddess Dressing from Gluten Free By The Bay

Reminders:

Of couse this is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Anh from Food Lover's Journey this week. Here are The Rules for Weekend Herb Blogging if you'd like to join in. Send your entries to anhnguyen118 AT gmail DOT com. Because next Sunday is Easter, Anh is pushing back the deadline for 24 hours, which means you have until mid-day on Monday (Utah time) to send your link if you're busy with Easter that Sunday.

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Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Weekend Herb Blogging