Gon-zo Bean Summer Salad

Day 3 of the 90 day weight loss challenge. Lunch. I have lunch every day, and this one is being added to my list of  "freakin' YES"  food! Can we have a list like that? I think so.  We're calling it Gonzo salad because our bums are going to be "Gone-zo-soon"...right? Actually...there's a story here on the beans.  But, in the meantime, here's the recipe. Under 300 calories and  a full plate! Eat up darlings!

Tess Gon-zo Bean Summer Salad
Ingredients
2 cup mixed baby field greens
1/2 cup garbanzo beans or white beans (cooked or canned without salt)
1/3 cup yellow onion, medium, sliced paper thin
2 carrot, shredded in ribbons
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon sunflower seeds, hulled, dry roasted, unsalted
2T chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano and basil)
1 fresh minced clove garlic

Preparation...I cook beans. I love them. My favorite are these Pueblo beans called Mortgage Lifters.  If you've never made beans before, you can see the basic class information in the Beans 101 Notes . Or, you can just buy a can of cooked white beans or garbanzo beans.  We call garbanzo beans Gonzo beans at my house. Seriously. Don't ask me where that started. I think it was because we'd eat them so fast that they'd be gone-zo-fast...but I think it is because my husband Ace likes the Muppet's and Gonzo was such a lovable bear...who never cooked beans.  Like I say. Don't ask me where that name started.  After the funeral we had a lot of ham and I always have a lot of beans. So, I cooked up a pot of Mortgage Lifters with a good amount of ham and some lovely carrots. Random side note...if organic carrots are on sale at your local farmer's market and your kids put 5 bags in your cart...just buy them. It was the best dollar I ever spent. 

 Combine greens, beans, onion, and carrot in a large bowl. I like to use my vegetable peeler for the carrots and shred them like ribbons. They just give me a good crunch. 

 Blend lemon juice in a small bowl with herbs and garlic. Drizzle over salad. I recommend chopping the herbs first. 

 Sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Hey, did you know that 2T of sunflower seeds has 9 grams of fat and 81 calories?  I know right? That's something to watch when you go to a salad bar. 

This is what the finished salad looks like. For under 300 calories I had a full plate of happy, 12 grams of fiber, 11grams of protein and 29 net carbs. Happy girl. Happy dance around the test kitchen. Are we seeing a trend here on the dancing around the Tess kitchen?  

Nutrition Facts: Yield 1 serving
Calories 290, Calories from Fat 90, Total Fat 10 g, Total Carbohydrate 41 g, Dietary Fiber 12 g
Protein 11 g, Vitamin A 380%, Vitamin C 70%, Calcium 10%, Iron 20%

Onward and upward my darlings! There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess