Today's recipe is in honor of the newly married Annie Harm and Louis Sigtermans. Eat well! Live well! Love well!!

It isn’t even summer yet. But we should be in planning mode for Memorial Day weekend, shouldn’t we? It’s less than a week away; is that possible? Where did May go? Our deck only got swept today and I’ve planted zero, zip, nada, zilch. (Too big of a chance of a freeze, still.) There are some new plants in their pots patiently waiting their turn out front and I can run them inside should a really cold snap appear, as it nearly always does. But last night, after a warm day, just felt like it was time to begin tossing easy no-cook dishes together — ones that get stuck back in the fridge for lunches or sides for the next night’s chop or fish so you don’t have to start dinner from scratch. (Something that might be good for, say, Memorial Day?!) I am, perhaps like you, a circuitous cook. There’s always something coming round tomorrow from what happened today or yesterday or last week or month. It’s conservative–in a good way, smart, healthy, and gives me more time for other things. I adore cooking but it’s not the only thing in my life.

Checking the pantry, there were lots of chickpeas; we love hummus. Artichoke hearts in a big glass jar from COSTCO jumped out at me, as did a forgotten can of hearts of palm, a Trader Joe grab, I think. My fridge and counter are always chock-full of fresh vegetables and I don’t go a day without olives or pickles somewhere along the way. I began chopping and tossed the ingredients in the bowl so that you could see them easily. I do the “recipe in a photo” for social media occasionally and someday I’ll do a little graphics study to improve my work. In the meantime, isn’t it fun to look at something like this and know you could make it? If you save the photo below, you can print it and put it on your fridge. The internet is full of chickpea or other bean salads, but this one is mine and, soon, yours. I do include a for real recipe; scroll down.

Dream up all sorts of variations on this theme, especially if you’re not a chickpea fan. Open up cannellini beans, for instance. Or cook beans from scratch. The directions below for black beans will work for pintos, Great Northern beans, Navy beans, and so on.

Slow Cooker Black Beans: INGREDIENTS: 1 lb black beans (unsoaked), washed/picked over; 2 quarts water; sm. onion cut in half, 3 cloves garlic; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon each ground black pepper and crushed red pepper; a few springs of cilantro (optional), and a quick drizzle of olive oil. DIRECTIONS: Stir together all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on high for about 6 hours at altitude or until tender. (May be less at sea level.) Taste and adjust seasonings.

How to Soak and Cook Chickpeas/SPRUCE EATS

I’m sure you’ll be happy however you make this fast and filling, inexpensive, healthy, high-protein, low-fat, bright and lemony meal–(wow!)

This recipe is in honor of the marriage of Annie Harm and Louis Sigtermans. Long may they cook!

WHERE’S THE OLIVE OIL? This salad doesn’t need it. I know! There’s a little residual oil on the artichoke hearts if you use marinated ones. Do add a drizzle if you’re really missing the fat, but try it this way first. You might like it.

CHANGE IT UP: My first summer dish is so versatile and easy to make your own that I will only give a few thoughts; you’ll surely have lots of ideas. Use another sort of beans –cannellini, white northern, kidney, etc– in place of one of the cans of chickpeas. Skip the hearts of palm and use double the artichoke hearts. Use some celery for part of the cucumbers. Toss in sliced fennel or sun-dried tomatoes or corn. Add diced cooked zucchini or green beans or asparagus or chopped hard cooked eggs. No peperoncini? Double the olives or add chopped capers. Don’t skip the briny bits; they’re critical. Swap in julienne of basil for the parsley but do it at the last minute and only on top of each serving as it browns easily. Include fresh mint. What about oregano? Stir in diced feta or crumbled goat cheese. Maybe even grilled shrimp or smoked salmon or a cup of leftover pasta. For once, the sky might truly be the limit.

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LIFE GOES ON:

Cool evenings and lack of a table and chairs–ours had bit the dust and went away with the great GOT JUNK? guys a week or two ago– have kept us eating indoors until last night. Husband and best sous Dave spent the afternoon putting together a new outdoor dining set and the weather held! We, as always, sat and watched the eastern sky in wonder and amazement at our good fortune despite living here nearly 20 years. I made the salad you’ve read about and served it with a roasted chicken, something I make twice a month or so. Dave had the salad plus feta today for lunch and he’ll have a chicken sandwich for lunch tomorrow when he goes to work at Habitat for Humanity. (I’m finishing some Chicken-Mushroom Bolognese from Saturday night.) Tuscan Chicken Stew is on the menu tomorrow for dinner; I hope I get time to make the chicken stock first. This morning, having left the windows open all night, we awoke to a temperature of 58 degrees F in our house. Colorado! It’s cool and rainy all day and tonight’s dinner will surely be indoors. But it was surely wonderful to eat on our deck for the first time last night. Thanks, God. Here’s to many more al fresco meals.

So, Alyce, why is your roasted chicken so brown on the breast and not on the legs? I cook my whole chickens breast-side down for the first 30 minutes at a higher temperature to insure complete, even cooking. When I turn the bird over, this is what it almost always looks like–perhaps because I tie the legs?

I hope you’re looking forward to some fun warm-weather cooking or non-cooking. Start with this chickpea salad. You won’t be sorry. And if you are, there’s always time to try something else. The beauty of food.

Thanks for keeping me company in the kitchen, as always,

Alyce