Real Dinner Bowl: Fruits, Veggies, Beans, Cheese

by Dorothy Reinhold on September 6, 2012


Print This Post Print This Post Real Dinner for Real People

Whether you write about food for a living or simply eat food to live, getting dinner on the table can seem too hard some days.

Here’s the secret: Make it easy as often as you need to. You can still have a homemade, unprocessed dinner without breaking your back or your time bank. 

Here’s an example of our dinner from the other night. It has been a heatwave here, and mama did not want to heat up the kitchen further. Mama also had bursting ripe fruits and cherry tomatoes from the back yard to use.

My motto: Use what you have!

You don’t really need a recipe for this. I present…

Real Dinner for Real People Sept 2012

Recipe: Real Dinner for Real People (Fruits, Veggies, Beans, Cheese)

An informal, one-bowl, easy weeknight dinner featuring the ripest fruits and vegetables, making it easy on the cook and fun for the diners. 

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe peaches, pitted and skinned
  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted and skinned
  • Cherry tomatoes (some are so ripe they split! — I consider that charming. And you might see a bug hole. Oops…no big deal.)
  • 1 (15- to 19-ounce) can or jar cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • Cantaloupe chunks
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella in water, drained (could use the small balls if you don’t want a large ball)
  • Tapenade, either jarred or my wonderful homemade version

Instructions

  1. Slice and arrange everything as you like on a plate or a bowl. Be fussy and fancy or be practical and quick — your choice.
  2. Finish with a dollop of tapenade on the beans.
  3. As you eat the beans, grab a bit of the tapenade along with some beans. Yum!
  4. Serves 4. Increase ingredient amounts to suit your family number and appetites.

Quick notes

I bought fancy (expensive!) cannellini beans in a jar from the Italian market. You may use something like that, or standard grocery store brands. Keep in mind that with a simple preparation like this, the better ingredients really stand out. And if your fruit and veggies are not ripe, don’t present them this way. Ripe ripe ripe!

Variations

Substitute your favorite or ripest fruits and veggies here to make this your own personalized version.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 4
My rating 5 stars:  ★★★★★

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

Michelle September 7, 2012 at 1:56 pm

This is a great idea. I, too, am a food blogger that often has trouble getting dinner on my own table. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday. Please link back to us and come back Sunday to vote.

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Kristina September 7, 2012 at 10:25 am

Dorothy this looks so fresh and beautiful! perfectly simple, I love it! as much as I am cooking for my own site, my father, and other projects, some of our favorite meals at home are simple bowls like these!

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Lentil Breakdown September 7, 2012 at 9:27 am

Me likey! Who needs a pinata when you’ve already got the candy?

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There and Back Again September 6, 2012 at 5:12 pm

Lovely! I enjoy suppers like this, though I usually eat this way for lunch. I’d have to add come nice bread to the mix, but otherwise it looks perfect!

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Dorothy September 6, 2012 at 9:13 pm

Linda,
A nice bread is ALWAYS welcome!

Reply

Kath September 6, 2012 at 5:12 pm

I love this simple idea. Thanks for the inspiration!

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