Bee-Fit

Summer Lentil & Black Bean Salad
Potluck coming up? This high-fiber, high-protein salad always gets high praise from our taste testers! You’ll make everyone happy, too, since it’s vegan AND gluten-free. We love that it’s super-simple to make and lasts for days in the fridge.

Salad

1 can (19 oz/540 mL) lentils, drained and rinsed

1 can (19 oz/540 mL) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14 oz/398 mL) corn, drained

1 cup diced red bell peppers

¾ cup each diced celery and green bell peppers

½ cup chopped green onions

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley



Dressing

¼ cup olive oil or good-quality vegetable oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp honey (use maple syrup for vegan)

½ tsp Dijon mustard

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Be careful not to smash the beans and lentils.

Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix well. Add several grinds of black pepper and a pinch or two of sea salt and mix again. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. (Tastes even better if made 1 day ahead.)

Makes about 10 cups salad

Per 1-cup serving: 186 calories, 6.6 g total fat (0.9 g saturated fat), 8 g protein, 26 g carbohydrate (7 g fiber, 4 g sugar), 0 mg cholesterol, 154 mg sodium

Cooking Tip: Buy no-salt-added beans and lentils to keep the sodium count low. If you can’t find the reduced-sodium variety, make sure you drain and rinse them well.

www.faceboook.com/beefitwithlynn

My beautiful daughter made this wonderful cake for me for my birthday. What a great alternative to traditional birthday cake!!

Watermelon Cake

Ingredients:

- 1 large seedless watermelon
- 2 cans full fat coconut milk (left in fridge for 6 hours or more) - 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. raw honey
- 1 cup sliced almonds or shredded coconut
- Seasonal fresh fruit (for topping)

Equipment:

- Cutting board
- Kitchen/Chef knife
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- 2 medium mixing bowls - Hand Mixer
- Paper Towels
- Can opener
- Medium sized skillet
- Stirring spoon

Directions:

TO MAKE THE COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM
1. Make sure to place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (or overnight). This will cause the cream to separate from the milk. The cream will be at the top of the can.
2. Open the can of coconut milk and scrape out the cream into a medium sized bowl. Hint: I always open the can from the bottom and pour the milk out into a separate container before scraping out the cream. You can use the saved milk for smoothies and other recipes.
3. Add the vanilla and raw honey to the mixture. Whip the cream with a hand mixer on medium speed and work your way up to high speed until the cream is fluffy, about 5 minutes (it will not be as fluffy as dairy whipped cream). Place

the bowl of whipped cream in the fridge until ready to use.

TO MAKE THE TOASTED ALMONDS OR COCONUT:
1. Place a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat and allow the pan to get hot.
2. Add the sliced almonds or shredded coconut and toss in the pan until they are toasted and turn a light brown color. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

TO ASSEMBLE
1. Remove the top and bottom from the watermelon and remove the rind from the middle section. You should be left with a cake-shaped piece of watermelon. Cut the watermelon "cake" into the number of wedges/slices you want. I recommend 6-8 slices depending on the size of the watermelon. (See below for a visual on how to cut the watermelon!). NOTE: You can leave the watermelon intact if you plan on traveling with it or do not want to cut it. Slicing a cake ahead of time just makes it much easier to dip the edges into the icing and then into anything else you want to adhere to the icing, such as the almonds or toasted coconut.
2. Pat the outside of the watermelon dry with paper towels (this is important because it will help the coconut whipped cream adhere better).
3. Dip the outside edge of each slice into the coconut whipped cream and then into the toasted almonds or coconut, and reassemble the wedges into the cake shape on a serving platter. Top with more whipped coconut cream and your favourite fresh fruit (I used blackberries, strawberries and kiwi). Serve or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. For more recipes and healthy living tips, go to fb.com/beefitwithlynn