This is one of our standbys. It takes less than 15 minutes to make, keeps well in the fridge, and has a satisfying blend of protein, carbs, and a little veg.

Tuna Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 box rotini or similar pasta
extra virgin olive oil
2 cans tuna in olive oil, drained
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1/3 cup basil, chopped
1 can black olives, drained
equal amount Spanish olives
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparations

Cook pasta according to box instructions & drain. Add to large serving bowl. Drizzle lightly with olive oil & toss.

Add the tuna, green pepper, basil, and both kinds of olives to pasta bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then toss and mix well. Serve.

Last week, I made a modified version of this Real Simple recipe. I chose it because it hit my weeknight recipe trifecta: fast, easy, and cheap. It’s also delicious; the lemon adds just enough interest to a classic dish.

Roast Potatoes with Lemon

Ingredients

2 lbs new potatoes, halved (quarter the larger potatoes)
1 thinly sliced lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place potatoes & lemon on rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the oil, and add salt & pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Cook on middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes (stirring potatoes midway through) until potatoes start to brown. Serve.

I love bean salads. They’re easy to make, healthy, and they keep you regular. I also think they’re beautiful, like edible confetti.

Keep in mind that poblanos vary significantly in heat, from mild heat to almost none at all (the one used in the above shot wasn’t hot, sadly). Heat lovers should consider substituting a large jalapeño for the poblano; just be sure to use gloves or wash your hands immediately, so you don’t get burns.

Black Bean, Corn, & Poblano Salad

Ingredients

15.5 oz can black bean, drained and rinsed
15.25 oz can corn, drained
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced fine
1/4 cup diced red onion, soaked in water for 4 minutes
1 vine tomato, diced
2 tbsps olive oil
juice of 1 lime
salt
pepper

Preparation

Mix black beans, corn, cilantro, poblano, red onion, and tomato in a large serving bowl. Whisk olive oil, lime juice, salt & pepper together, and pour over salad. Stir to coat evenly, serve.

Dinner Friday night turned out better than expected, so I’m sharing the recipe. I had planned to make black beans and rice, with lime, avocado, and chives–standard it’s-Friday-I’m-tired fare.

When it came time to cook, however, the avocado wasn’t ripe enough, so I went pantry hunting. A salsa seemed like the best bet, but we didn’t have peppers, tomatoes or cilantro. We did have two rapidly aging yellow mangos no one seemed to want, however, and a red onion. The result was an amazing mix of textures and spicy-sweet-salty flavor.

Black Beans with Chive Rice & Mango Salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup long-grained white rice or brown rice, uncooked
1 15.5 oz can Goya black beans
1 to 2 tbsps sliced chives

For mango salsa:

2 ripe small yellow mangos, peeled & diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced fine & soaked 5 minutes in cold water
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp red chili flakes
salt, to taste

Preparation

Rice

Cook 1 cup rice (4 cups cooked). Follow package instructions, or use my method for perfect rice:

Add rice to saucepan. Add water; determine the correct amount of water by using the knuckle method. Cover pan, put over high heat, and wait until the lid shudders from the foaming water & steam. Turn heat to low, and let cook 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and let sit 15 minutes more, without removing the lid.

When rice has finished cooking, add 1 to 2 tbsps chives to the rice, and mix well.

Beans

When rice has 15 minutes left, heat the black beans according to can instructions. I love Goya black beans, and they’re available almost everywhere. They also have a lot of salt, which means you shouldn’t add much to the rice or salsa.

Salsa

Combine mango and red onion, watching the proportions (you want about a 5:1 ratio of mango to onion). Add lime juice and red pepper flakes, mix well, and salt to taste. Combine all three parts in individual bowls, garnish with chives, and serve.