I could just call this ‘resolute salad,’ since it is my quick version of a New Year’s resolution. It is that time of year again to reverse the results of holiday eating and imbibing, to go lighter on the bread, cut down portion size and drink water like it is going out of style. But one need not suffer.

In fact, this salad is a preferable choice for lunch. And the beans and tuna give it enough ‘meat’ to keep your belly happy for hours (no need for mid afternoon lunching to fill the watery-lettuce void). The white beans are classic Italian fare (white or cannellini beans), as is the tuna, arugula and fabulous olive oil.

Arugula, White Bean and Tuna Salad
arugula
white beans (from a can works)
tuna fish (packed in olive oil, then drained)
olive oil, to taste
kosher salt and coarse pepper (KS&CP)

Pile ingredients.

A few twists:

• I like to add shaved Parmesan, I think the salty bite is brilliant against the tangy arugula and tuna.
  We use our best olive oil, since it goes straight from the bottle to our mouths (we use our second class olive oil for cooking).
  We differ in opinion on this, while my husband skips the balsamic, sometimes I add a squirt of reduced balsamic vinegar.
  You could add: really seasonal, perfectly ripened cherry or baby Roma tomatoes.
  Lots of freshly ground pepper is key, the more the better.

New Year’s resolutions aside… or forward… this really is a healthy, scrumptious lunch.

I get a kick out of little memes; mostly I ignore them but sometimes they cause me to giggle knowingly, or learn something new about a new or long-standing friend. This one about ‘3 things’ was sent my way from my friend Alisa at One Frugal Foodie. Answering little factoids can offer a chance to take a momentary snapshot of yourself. Like shooting out an email and asking everyone: what is in your pocket today?

When I was a young mom, I used to have band aid wrappers and pacifiers, one tiny sock or a random sippy straw in my pocket. Today, in the midst of our travels, my pockets have antibacterial hand-wipes, a pile of change—a combination of pounds and euros—and leftover ticket stubs from Billy Elliot (a brilliant performance on a London stage). Last week my pocket had gum wrappers and a London tube pass, a random coffee receipt, and a set of keys for whatever-was-our-current abode. It is a funny way to make a quick assessment of what is going on in your life at that moment in time.

Answering these questions are a bit like that; consequently, I thought it would be interesting to answer them. And of course since some of the questions involved food, naturally I hit ‘publish’ so here they are:

Three names I go by:
1. Janelle
2. mom (quite possibly my favorite name to go by)
3. Aunt Janelle

Three Jobs I have had in my life:
1. cleaning a dentist office (age 14)
2. berry cannery line worker (high school age 17)
3. VP marketing at a food company (MBA post grad… age not required)

Three places I have lived:
1. Seattle, Washington (college)
2. Alexandria, Virginia (just married, having babies)
3. Florence, Italy (well… I WILL be living there in just a few days!)

Three Favorite Drinks (ehem… how to choose?)
1. red wine
2. coffee
3. toss up: sidecar, gin & tonic, vodka martini or a brilliant margarita without the overly sugary mixers (stick to just-squeezed lime juice, coarse salt on the rim, cointreau, Hornitos tequila, a little simple syrup if required… or Trader Joes actually has a non-fructose corn syrup margarita mix—a splash smooths out the whole drink… no, I am NOT high maintenance. I just know how to make good drinks… ask anyone.) My latest [lemon-drop] victims: Chris and Natasha in Windsor, England. BTW guys, thank you for the brilliant time in England. You were easily the highlight of our time in England; we look forward to seeing you in Florence!)

Three TV shows I watch:
1. Top Chef (and a round or two of The Next Food Network Star)
2. Serie A and Premier Football (aka Italian and English soccer leagues)
3. Tour de France (we watched it religiously this summer).

Three places I have been:
The three places I have been is almost impossible to answer, since we have been cycling through Europe this summer.
1. The Louvre in Paris (July 2009)
2. Orcas Island (San Juan Islands off coast of Washington State)
3. The London Underground (August 2009)

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Fennel
2. Tomatoes
3. Cheese (that might be cheating… since there are so many varieties…)

Three MORE of my favorite foods (yep, I added this, such a cheater):
1. chocolate
2. nuts: especially hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans…
3. bacon. My family would disown me if I didn’t own up to it. We all LOVE bacon. (if you haven’t already, watch Jim Gaffigan’s King Baby; he is a comedian and has a stretch of humor on bacon, it is hilarious…)

I could list 10 more of my favorite foods quite easily, but will resist. Okay, just one more: arugula. It appeared quite frequently on menus and plates and baguettes during our cycling trip this summer. It boasted many names—arugula, rocket, roquette, rucola–depending on which country was delivering the salad. And I tend to love foods that have a boast of versatility. Arugula [for example] lands easily on top of pizzas, snuggles into a baguette with prosciutto or roasted vegetables, dances around a plate with only shaved Parmesan and olive oil and its lightly bitter edge stands up to cream sauces and rich risottos… what food do you love?

Or perhaps I should I ask: what’s in your pocket?