3 bean salad
I've written about my book group before (the "bookies" or "book group babes" as we sometimes refer to one another.) There are six of us and for the past 5 or 6 years we have met every month, twice a year at each of our houses (except for the very occasional evening at a restaurant when one of us says, "Can we just go out?") We've celebrated birthdays, comforted each other through losses and difficult times, laughed A LOT, and talk about the books we read, which is actually a novelty for most book groups despite what they're called! We actually talk so much it's often hard to leave. Believe it or not we missed "The Social Network" because we were doing to much socializing!
Me (l) and Lisa (r)
Of course, we love to take care of each other and feed one another. There's nothing like sharing a meal with others ~ it can be a total bonding experience, especially when you have prepared the meal!This month we read the book Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, and one of my dearest, sweetest and most beautiful friends (inside and out), Lisa, was the hostess.
corn & black beans
The book is about love and loss and finding yourself, while hiking the Pacific Coast Trail, so Lisa planned a portion of the dinner to go along with that theme.The setting was so beautiful. We were outside, pool side, dining on her elegant porch and then at her outdoor table where the trees are lit and the music floods the yard. The food was also great and, like the book, very earthy ~ at least the vegan parts. Lisa, as always, went out of her way for me.
lentils in endive
To start there was the traditional crudite with hummus, and corn tortilla chips with a black bean dip...that would have been enough. Then there was a vinaigrette dressed three bean salad, a corn salad with black beans, and endive (on-deev or en-dive, however you choose to pronounce it) filled with beluga lentils. In the center of the platter was a mixed greens salad with walnuts and diced apples and dates. To drink we had vodka lemonade and various wines, and a bottle of tequila just in case.It was so good! The flavors, the textures, and of course the company ~ not to mention night swimming during the heat wave that had blanketed New York. What a gift...
