Mmm. Beer.

Have I mentioned the Beerbistro? If I haven't told you about it in person, let me explain to you why I love this place.

Brace yourselves.

Everything is made with beer. No. Seriously. I mean everything.

Pizza? Stout Crust
Sour cream? Has Gueze in it .
Ice Cream? They call it Beer Scream.
Bacon? Cured with beer.
Salad dressing? White beer & truffle oil.

They have a cellar with 200+ bottles of beer... some of which cost hundreds of dollars. It's beertastic!

Last night, Phil and I got together with another one of my friends from high school and her husband. They live (relatively) near by (and by that I mean an hour+ by car or train), and it's always good to see them. I've known my friend since grade 9! Back then, she wanted to be a doctor. And guess what? Unlike just about every other teenager who wants to be a doctor, she actually is one! You have no idea how proud I am of her for sticking to it.

I'm digressing. Later this week, I'll be whipping up a batch of beer scream (or strawberry beer sorbet), but for now you'll have to settle for a lunchtime recipe that doesn't involve beer at all.

What? I needed to detox. All those beer samplers add up, you know?

Don't be turned off by the word detox. The salad is really good!

C'mon. You know you want some. Look at those gorgeous olive oil dressed beans. Parsley! Lemon Rind! Capers! Sea salt!

It's a total winner.
Romano Bean Salad (from Cooking Light June '10)

Also called Italian flat beans or runner beans, this snap bean variety looks like a wide, flat green bean. You can easily substitute an equal amount of regular green beans.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 2  quarts water
• 1  pound  Romano beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1  tablespoon  kosher salt
• 1  garlic clove
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2  tablespoons  capers
• 1  tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add beans, 1 tablespoon salt, and garlic; cook 8 minutes or until tender. Drain and plunge beans into ice water; drain. Place beans in a medium bowl. Finely chop garlic; add to beans. Add parsley and remaining ingredients, tossing gently to coat.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 46

Fat: 2.4g (sat 0.3g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.3g)

Protein: 1.5g

Carbohydrate: 6g

Fiber: 2.8g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 1mg

Sodium: 247mg

Calcium: 34mg

Amelia Saltsman, Cooking Light, JUNE 2010