I made a new friend! *clicking heels* (Note: I can’t actually click my heels in real life.  I can, however,  high five enthusiastically and dance spastically to anything with a beat.  Salt N’ Pepa preferred.)

Making awesome new friends is a big deal.

When we were kids making friends was easy.  We were all thrown into a small space to learn things together.  We complimented each other’s slap bracelets or New Kids on The Block T-shirts and BAM, friendship.  Easy. We go to middle school and we all bond over boys and baby doll T-shirts and an intense love for the band TLC (maybe this was uniquely my experience, I won’t put that on you.  I WILL say that I subscribed to VIBE magazine for a suspiciously long amount of time.) We travel onto high school where it is more boys, tight pants, musical theater,  Cliffs Notes, and the notion that parents simply just don’t understand.  College comes around, and every one of us freshman is so freaked out that you have instant besties by day one.  It’s almost like you grab onto the first person you see (usually your roommate) and figuratively (or literally) hold hands and walk the mean halls together.  Of course, by the first week of college, you usually realize that you have made a rash decision by adhering yourself  onto the first person you came in contact with.  Maybe that person turns out to be selling drugs out of your dorm room closet.  Maybe they decide to cook very suspect and fragrant ethnic foods in the room using nothing but your rented microwave and a rice cooker.  But, no worries… everyone is on the hunt for new besties.  Your people are out there.   You find them.

Let’s be real, after you graduate from college and start this whole “grown-up” thing, it becomes more difficult to meet people.  Our days are usually consumed by waking up, trying to remember to eat breakfast, paying bills, working, working, working, commuting, checking the mail, receiving more bills, answering emails, making dinner, eating dinner with your husband/partner/roommate/host of cats, treating yourself to a cocktail, passing out on the couch, waking up in a puddle of drool, putting in your adult mouth-guard, and then off to bed.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

You have the things you do every day.  Things get routine.  You have your co-workers.  Maybe some of them are cool.  Maybe some of them are strange.  You didn’t choose each other.  You make it work.  We have less opportunities these days to connect with people outside of our daily routines.  We are busy.

Long story short, it’s hard to make instant besties anymore, so when you do, it’s kind of magic.

I met Carly (new friend) at an office where I go to get physical therapy.  She had an ice pack on her eye.  She had gotten something in it and it was red and inflamed.  She smiled through it.  We made jokes.  Some might say it was friends at first sight.  Pun intended.

You are probably looking at this post and going, wow.. I thought this was going to be about bean salad.  How does friendship tie into bean salad?  That is a legitimate question.  I am so glad you asked…

Carly is a vegetarian.  I am a gluten-free carnivore.  We make it work.  We find common ground in things like hummus, goat cheese, whipped cream and now this amazing bean salad.  Carly is somewhat of a salad savant.  It’s true.  I have seen her spend a solid 30 minutes working on the perfect salad dressing.  I love a friend who takes pride in their art. 🙂  Balela was in the first delicious salad that we shared together.  Maybe I have been living under a rock, but I had never had it before.  As soon as she introduced me to it, I started to make it on the daily.  I am going through a Balela phase.  I hope you will join me there.

Ingredients: 

1 can of Garbanzo Beans

1 can of Black Beans

The juice of 2 lemons

1 medium sized tomato

A handful of Italian Parsley

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Drain and rinse your beans.  Put them in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside. Finely chop a tomato and add it into the bean mixture.  Chop up your Italian parsley and add it into your bean and tomato mixture.  Juice both of your lemons over the top of the salad.  Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  Finish off with a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Mix well.

Here is how I usually like to enjoy mine! I mix it over a bed of baby spinach with some feta cheese and some marinated artichoke hearts.  Don’t forget some avocado.  Delish!

 

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