Latest news with #VioletWitchel
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
As A Dietitian, This Mega-Viral TikTok Salad Trend Is One That I Stand Behind 100% — Here's Why
Hey Walmart shoppers! You can get Express Delivery on your orders (including groceries) to be delivered in as fast as one hour. Because sometimes you need your order now. Use promo code EXPRESS to get your first Express Delivery free. If you've been on social media over the past year, chances are you've heard of the Dense Bean Salad. While not a new concept, it was popularized on TikTok this past year by creator Violet Witchel. Violet's first Dense Bean Salad on TikTok — a Sundried Tomato Dense Bean Salad — amassed 12.6 million views. That's a lot of beans! I think most of us can agree that if eating healthier were easy, delicious, AND budget-friendly, we'd all put down the takeout menu and eat homemade a little more often. Lucky for us, this trend gave us the idea and inspiration for a simple way to eat better! Not only that, but it gives us flexibility and room to get creative, customize, and try something new. The parameters of a dense bean salad are: 1. It should be bean-focused 2. It is high in protein 3. Pairs well with a vinaigrette 4. No lettuce in sight 5. Prep-ahead friendly Violet has a simple checklist for her salads: vinegar-based dressing, herbs, two kinds of beans, crunchy veg, cheese, soft veg, and a "pickled bit." Psst: To cook thousands of recipes in step-by-step mode right on your phone, download the free Tasty app right now. As a dietitian, I can usually get behind something that gets people to eat more beans, whether it's adding canned beans to your soup, chickpeas to your brownies, or lentils to your muffins (really!). There are infinite ways to get your bean on. I always have canned beans in the pantry, from chickpeas to my personal favorite, the white bean. Sure, dried beans are even cheaper, BUT I never remember to soak them and cook them the night before. I mean... come on, I can barely remember the last time I changed my bed sheets. Here's why I'm obsessed with beans: Sure, they may get a bad rap, but beans are pretty great. If you've ever heard the tune "beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you..." — you'll understand why some people are hesitant to eat them regularly. Beans are a good source of protein and fiber (both of which keep you feeling full), and are great for your heart health, blood sugar regulation, and digestion. They are also a good source of nutrients like iron, magnesium, and zinc, as well as prebiotics... aka fiber that feeds your gut bacteria. A healthy gut means a healthy you! As a dietitian, I see people who are looking for make-ahead meals that get better with time... not ones that lose their appeal after 24 hours. Not only that, but if you are taking your lunch on the go, you may not have access to a microwave, so a meal that is ready to go right out of the fridge or lunch box is key. Building our lunches around this healthy source of protein is a no-brainer. Including protein at meals can help sustain energy (so you don't have that dreaded afternoon slump come 4 p.m.), keep us feeling full, and help with muscle maintenance. There have even been studies that suggest that having protein at lunch can help your brain function throughout the day. When it comes to protein, you don't have to gnaw on a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store — you can get your protein AND fiber in one convenient bean-shaped package. Having a prepared lunch can not only help you stay on track with your wellness goals, but it's good for your wallet, too! Canned beans are an affordable protein source, making these salads budget-friendly. I love using them as a way to use up some of the random veggies I have in the fridge, from half-eaten bell peppers to that quarter red onion you've been ignoring on your shelf. If you're like me, you'll get bored with your lunch after a couple of days, which is why I love how customizable these can be. Here are some of my favorite ways to hop on this trend: 1. White beans, chickpeas, chopped celery, carrots, green onion, cilantro, buffalo sauce, and blue cheese 2. Chickpeas, black beans, canned artichokes, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, feta cheese, oregano, parsley, Greek binaigrette 3. Edamame (soybeans), chickpeas, salsa, corn, radishes, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cheese, grilled chicken, and chipotle vinaigrette. So go ahead: Buy those beans and BYODBS to work today. (That's Bring Your Own Dense Bean Salad, for those who aren't paying attention.) Get Express Delivery on your Walmart orders (including groceries) to be delivered in as fast as one hour — use promo code EXPRESS to get your first Express Delivery free. For hundreds of budget- and meal prep-friendly recipes, download the free Tasty app to see what people are cooking — no subscription required!
Buzz Feed
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Buzz Feed
Dietitian-Approved Viral TikTok Salad Worth The Hype
If you've been on social media over the past year, chances are you've heard of the Dense Bean Salad. While not a new concept, it was popularized on TikTok this past year by creator Violet Witchel. Violet's first Dense Bean Salad on TikTok — a Sundried Tomato Dense Bean Salad — amassed 12.6 million views. That's a lot of beans! I think most of us can agree that if eating healthier were easy, delicious, AND budget-friendly, we'd all put down the takeout menu and eat homemade a little more often. Lucky for us, this trend gave us the idea and inspiration for a simple way to eat better! Not only that, but it gives us flexibility and room to get creative, customize, and try something new. The parameters of a dense bean salad are: 1. It should be bean-focused2. It is high in protein3. Pairs well with a vinaigrette4. No lettuce in sight5. Prep-ahead friendlyViolet has a simple checklist for her salads: vinegar-based dressing, herbs, two kinds of beans, crunchy veg, cheese, soft veg, and a "pickled bit." Psst: To cook thousands of recipes in step-by-step mode right on your phone, download the free Tasty app right now. As a dietitian, I can usually get behind something that gets people to eat more beans, whether it's adding canned beans to your soup, chickpeas to your brownies, or lentils to your muffins (really!). There are infinite ways to get your bean on. I always have canned beans in the pantry, from chickpeas to my personal favorite, the white bean. Sure, dried beans are even cheaper, BUT I never remember to soak them and cook them the night before. I mean... come on, I can barely remember the last time I changed my bed sheets. Here's why I'm obsessed with beans: Sure, they may get a bad rap, but beans are pretty great. If you've ever heard the tune "beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you..." — you'll understand why some people are hesitant to eat them regularly. Beans are a good source of protein and fiber (both of which keep you feeling full), and are great for your heart health, blood sugar regulation, and digestion. They are also a good source of nutrients like iron, magnesium, and zinc, as well as prebiotics... aka fiber that feeds your gut bacteria. A healthy gut means a healthy you! As a dietitian, I see people who are looking for make-ahead meals that get better with time... not ones that lose their appeal after 24 hours. Not only that, but if you are taking your lunch on the go, you may not have access to a microwave, so a meal that is ready to go right out of the fridge or lunch box is key. Building our lunches around this healthy source of protein is a no-brainer. Including protein at meals can help sustain energy (so you don't have that dreaded afternoon slump come 4 p.m.), keep us feeling full, and help with muscle maintenance. There have even been studies that suggest that having protein at lunch can help your brain function throughout the day. When it comes to protein, you don't have to gnaw on a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store — you can get your protein AND fiber in one convenient bean-shaped package. Having a prepared lunch can not only help you stay on track with your wellness goals, but it's good for your wallet, too! Canned beans are an affordable protein source, making these salads budget-friendly. I love using them as a way to use up some of the random veggies I have in the fridge, from half-eaten bell peppers to that quarter red onion you've been ignoring on your shelf. If you're like me, you'll get bored with your lunch after a couple of days, which is why I love how customizable these can be. Here are some of my favorite ways to hop on this trend: 1. White beans, chickpeas, chopped celery, carrots, green onion, cilantro, buffalo sauce, and blue cheese2. Chickpeas, black beans, canned artichokes, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, feta cheese, oregano, parsley, Greek binaigrette3. Edamame (soybeans), chickpeas, salsa, corn, radishes, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cheese, grilled chicken, and chipotle vinaigrette. So go ahead: Buy those beans and BYODBS to work today. (That's Bring Your Own Dense Bean Salad, for those who aren't paying attention.) Get Express Delivery on your Walmart orders (including groceries) to be delivered in as fast as one hour — use promo code EXPRESS to get your first Express Delivery free. For hundreds of budget- and meal prep-friendly recipes, download the free Tasty app to see what people are cooking — no subscription required!
Globe and Mail
28-05-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Your next protein-packed recipe: a reinvigorated bean salad
Growing up, one of my family's summer staples was a three-bean salad from the Uncommon Cookbook, published in 1981 by the Art Gallery of Windsor (Ontario). The amalgamation of soft, briny canned yellow and green wax beans, kidney beans and chickpeas tossed with a syrupy dressing of 'salad oil,' white vinegar, sugar and celery seed lasted for ages in the fridge, and was delicious. Bean-forward salads have always been popular in Mediterranean, Latin American and other cuisines; they became a simple, affordable use of pantry staples during the Depression, and trendy at potlucks and backyard parties of the fifties. In a classic case of what's old is new again, recipe developer Violet Witchel's 'dense bean salad' – a far more elaborate combination which included peppers, fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, jarred artichokes and chopped deli meats – went viral on social media last year, inspiring a wave of bean-based variations. The key ingredient, pulses, such as dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas, are a significant Canadian crop. They are a comparably inexpensive source of protein, and are high in fibre and other essential nutrients. Pulses are incredibly versatile, pairing well with a wide range of ingredients, and they're delicious at room temperature, making them even more portable, and ideal to make ahead and bring to a barbecue, or pack for a picnic or camping trip. Canned beans, chickpeas and lentils are absolutely fine for a salad, and tend to have a softer texture, but this is a great opportunity to simmer any dry varieties you have in the back of your cupboard. An instant pot does an amazing job of dried pulses, or you can simmer them on the stovetop, freezing any extra in their cooled cooking liquid to protect against freezer burn. Lentils cook most quickly owing to their size, and don't require soaking – no dried pulse does, really. There's always the option to jump-start hydration by soaking them first, but cooking pulses straight from their dry state will require only marginally more time, and they won't split as much. Also: Salt your cooking water to season the beans themselves, as you would when cooking pasta – it's a myth that salt makes them refuse to soften. If you do find they aren't softening, add a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water – an acidic environment can be prohibitive, and soft water can be slightly acidic. While fresh green beans make perfect sense in a bean salad, asparagus is in season now, and salads are all about using what you have and what happens to be growing. Barley is a delicious addition, and cooks in about the same time as dry lentils – you can even simmer them together. Feel free to add briny cheese (feta, bocconcini) or deli ingredients such as sliced meat, olives or artichokes, which feels like a more wintry salad. As with any salad, ingredients are completely flexible in terms of variety and quantity – bean salads keep well in the fridge for several days, so you can make more than you need at one time. Vinaigrette: Chop everything that needs chopping, and toss it all into a wide bowl, platter or any other vessel you happen to have. To make a vinaigrette, pour oil and vinegar into a jar in approximately a 3:1 ratio, add a small spoonful of mustard and a bit of garlic and/or dried herbs, if you like, and season with salt and pepper. Shake it up and pour generously over the salad ingredients, tossing to coat. Will keep in the fridge all week. Serves as many as you like.
