I’m delighted to introduce an admired blogger turned friend, Brian from A Thought For Food. I’ve been following Brian’s blog for years now, his photography, writing and recipes are just outstanding! One of the many things I love about him is a lot of his recipes are naturally gluten-free. For example, Boston Cream Pie, no bake cookies, Warm Spinach & Broccoli Salad, Rainbow Chard with Cranberries and Pine nuts and TONS MORE!

Brian’s such an incredible friend and offered to help me out while we get through the move & pregnancy, he sent me this beautiful post, [below]. Talk about a big heart. I can’t wait to give this salad try!

I have to confess something: until a few hours ago, I had no idea what I was going to make for this guest post. Lisa gave me no direction.  The only instruction she provided was that it needed to be gluten-free.  And that’s totally cool!  Happy to oblige!  But that was it… no additional guidance or restrictions.

When I finally got around to stepping into the kitchen, however, I was at a complete loss.  So, I do what I always do when my brain is void of creativity… I just start picking out a random assortment of ingredients.  I began in the pantry, where my eyes honed in on a can of cannellinis.  Ok, bean salad.  But I couldn’t just do beans. That would be LAME!

Ok, so what else.  Chopped red pepper… sure, that works!  And then I looked at the five pounds of walnuts sitting on our kitchen table (I’m not kidding.  There is a tower of nuts that I recently acquired and it has been haunting me in my dreams), and I thought, “Hey, that’s something a little different!”

Last came the dressing, the inspiration of which popped into my head when I remembered the fresh basil that needed to be plucked from our garden.  Basil, some lime juice, a bit of oil and salt and pepper.

I nibbled on this dish as soon as it hit the bowl and it barely made it to the dinner table.  Use it as a side or, like me, you can throw it atop some greens alongside slices of hard-boiled egg.  There, I just gave you a great idea for dinner tonight!  Feel free to thank me in the comments section.

In all seriousness, I hope you enjoy it and I thank Lisa for giving me the opportunity to share it with you, her fabulous fan base.

Cannellini, Red Pepper and Walnut Salad

serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 1, 16 oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 8 oz shelled walnuts
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
• 1 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and black pepper

Directions

In a small pan, toast the walnuts until they brown slightly and become aromatic, approximately 3 minutes, being careful they don’t burn.

In a bowl, combine the beans and red pepper.  Add the walnuts.

Meanwhile, combine the basil, lime juice, olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Pour over the salad and toss until all the ingredients are coated.

Test for seasoning and, if necessary, add more salt and/or pepper.

*gluten-free *dairy-free *vegetarian

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