Green Bean and Potato Salad with Miso Dressing

I had one goal for myself in 2011:  to go the entire year without any new injuries or physical ailments.  I figured that after last year my injury karma had to get better, right?  My 2010 was consumed by a gall stone diagnosis, shin splints from a running injury in 2008, a sprained ankle, and then a shoulder injury in August that I'm still healing from.  I thought things were looking up.

Then a couple of weeks ago I went to spinning class and strapped my shoe too tight on the bike.  I didin't even know that you could do that, but apparently if you do it bruises your foot pretty bad.  It also doesn't help when you continue to work out on it.  Duh.  Injury #1.

And then four days ago I started having a splitting headache on one side of my head.  Physical issue #2.  The not-so-fun part of this one is that my doctors still have no clue what's going on.

This caused me to take a long, good look at my life recently and figure it out myself.  It's not a pretty picture:  creating too many commitments for myself, getting less than 8 hours of sleep per night, staring at the computer for very long periods of time without taking a break, starting to drink caffeinated tea again, and choosing to ignore my body when it's trying to tell me something.  My self-care report card is definitely a D right now.  No wonder I have a weird headache that my doctor's never heard of. 

What I love about life is that the lessons that we need to learn always arise right in front of us.  I needed a good reminder about taking care of my body and sometimes it takes a swift kick in the behind (or a splitting headache) to make one pay attention.  I'm listening now.

Maybe you're working on taking care of your own body or you're just looking for a tasty meal option.  This salad is it.  This recipe came from  The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change The Way You Eat by Tal Ronnen.  I love this cookbook because it has beautiful photographs, loads of great information, and very inspiring recipes. (Including how to make your own vegan cheese.  Amazing!)

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the miso-potato-green bean combination, but I was definitely impressed.  I'm also not usually a big fan of arugula and I actually thought about substituting spinach instead, but the slight bitterness of the arugula really complements the flavors well.  This is a perfect side salad with dinner and it makes a wonderful light lunch on a rainy spring afternoon.   In the spirit of self-care and listening to my body, I didn't even think twice about having seconds. 

Yields: 4 servings (enough for about 2 people)
From The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change The Way You Eat by Tal Ronnen

2 tablespoons yellow miso paste
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 1/2 cups baby arugula
8 ounces fingerling potatoes, boiled for 15 minutes, then sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
8 ounces of green beans, blanched in boiling water for 1 minute

Place the miso paste, vinegar, agave, salt, pepper, shalot, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water in a food processor and pulse to combine.  With the motor running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream until the vinaigrette is emulsified.  Fold in the chives.

Place the arugula, potatoes, and beans in a large bowl, drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss to coat.