How a profusion of beans pulled him back from the meat brink.

My pole beans plants have finally exploded. They'd been teasing me for a while, sprouting one or two beans here and there, never giving me enough to make a decent meal. I'd cursed them and call them names - why weren't they coming out?! They'd bloomed enough, dammit! But this morning, during my usual daily sashay through the garden, they'd finally succumbed to my horticultural bullying. I was confronted with clusters of beans. Big clusters... So I grabbed my little bowl and picked every last one of them - purple and green. And tonight, I made a salad. A really, really tasty salad.

This recipe has benefited from some hefty inspiration, I must say. First there was the proliferation of beans. Then, the discovery of a first tomato off the Ottawa 39 plant (nothing to write home about, by the way - not getting those next year.) But most importantly, there was the challenge posed by Marc who, following his first meeting with a personal trainer, came home to tell me that he'd been instructed to eat meat. Lots and lots of meat. (insert rolling eyes and puffed cheeks with a slow exhale here.)

Feeling mildly suspicious, and not-so-mildly annoyed that someone was about to undo all of the hard conversion-to-flexitarian work I'd accomplished on the home front, I decided to make a salad that could rival a steak on protein and flavour anytime - with a fraction of the cholesterol and hormones, and tons more fibre. Pffff. Meat. WHATever!

Green bean and bulgur salad with toasted almonds and tomato (serves three generously)

First thing:

Set 1 cup of medium bulgur to cook and let it cool once it's done (if you're in a hurry, just spread it on a cookie sheet and stick it in the fridge while you get on with the rest of the recipe).

While the bulgur cooks:

- Steam three large handfuls of fresh green beans until al dente and throw them in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

- Roughly chop up about 3/4 cup of whole almonds and toast them in a pan over low heat until they're fragrant. Watch'em! Once they start to burn, they burn fast! Let them cool in a plate so they don't burn in the hot pan.

While the bulgur cools off:

- In the salad bowl, whisk up one minced garlic clove, some sherry vinegar (about 2 tbsp) and some olive oil (1/4 cup - these are approximate measurements. You may like your dressing a little more or a little less tart).
- Chop the tomato and the beans into bite sized pieces. Toss'em in the bowl.

- Finely chop a handful of parsley and a handful of basil. In the bowl they go.

Add the cooled bulgur and the almonds, adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper) and combine everything into a fluffy, green flecked thing of beauty. Done-zo.

Marc crumbled some goat cheese in his salad and was as happy as a clam. He didn't bring up the meat idea once. HAH! Take that, trainer-lady! I left my salad just as it was. Delicious. Especially with a nice glass of Blanche de Chambly. Peeerfect.

À la prochaine!