A Salad for New Parents

I hope whenever I make this salad again — and I intend to do so for the rest of my life — that I think of the postpartum weeks with Olivia. Not the first few days, when we subsisted only on the food that others had prepared and delivered, but the beginning of the emergence from the fog. When I could manage a quick trip to the grocery store and to clean and chop vegetables. When Olivia started to sleep up to seven hours at night, and in cat naps during the day. When she started to smile and coo and kick, kick, kick around her farm-themed gym.

Spending perhaps a third of my day in a chair with a baby and a bottle has left a surprising amount of time to read. When I’m actually able to turn my gaze from her adorable face I catch up on the news, read longform magazine pieces, and check on my favorite blogs. I’m even reading a novel — Joyce Maynard’s new release Count the Ways — and am so deeply engrossed in it that I’ve picked it up in bed late at night, while Olivia sleeps in her bassinet just inches from me, when I should absolutely be sleeping too.

I used to be obsessed with Heidi Swanson, never missing a blog or Instagram post, and buying her books on the day of release. (She was my food hero when I met Jeff; the first meal I cooked for him was entirely her recipes, from the book that she had put out that fall.) At some point I stopped checking in on her every day, so much so that I missed that she had put a new book out this past March. When I learned of this from the rocking chair I clicked order then immediately selected a salad to make from one of Heidi’s recent posts. This Carrot and White Bean Salad doesn’t come from Super Natural Simple, but it may well have.  Even new parents can handle it!

CARROT AND WHITE BEAN SALAD, inspired by Heidi Swanson

You’ll need:
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for the pan
3 tbsp lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot (about 1 shallot)
2 cups carrots, sliced about 1/4-inch thick on the bias (about 5 medium-large carrots, but sometimes I add more)
2 cans white beans, such as Cannellini or Great Northern, rinsed and drained 
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (if you picked up chives at the farmers market on your baby’s first outing ever, use them here)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted (not toasted is fine too, if you have a 4-week-old baby)

In a small bowl stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and shallot. Set aside while you prepare the rest.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the carrots and enough olive oil to coat them. Cook for about 12 minutes, tossing every 3-4 minutes. As best as you can, try to keep the carrots in a single layer, to encourage browning on both sides.

Add the beans and herbs to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the beans are heated through. Stir every now and then, but not too frequently, to lightly toast the beans.

Transfer the contents of the skillet to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the brown sugar and pour 3/4 of the dressing over the top. Gently stir to combine. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, then taste and add more dressing if necessary. Sprinkle the almonds across the top.

This salad is delicious served warm, room temperature, or cold as leftovers.