Grilled Squid Salad with Celery Leaf Pesto

• Recipe by Melissa Kelly

The Good News Melissa Kelly’s inspiration for this salad is a dish she ate in Santa Margherita, on the Ligurian Coast of Italy. It includes butter beans; they’re a terrific source of potassium, iron, copper and manganese and rich in soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol.

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons pine nuts
2. 1 1/2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves
3. 3 celery ribs, thinly sliced, plus 1/2 cup celery leaves
4. 2 garlic cloves
5. 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
6. 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
7. Salt and freshly ground pepper
8. One 15-ounce can imported butter beans, drained and rinsed
9. 1/2 cup pickled sweet peppers or cherry peppers, thinly sliced
10. 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
11. 1 1/2 pounds small squid, cleaned
12. 1/2 cup torn basil leaves

Directions

1. Light a grill. In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over high heat until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate to cool.
2. In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup of the parsley with the celery leaves, garlic and pine nuts and process until minced. Add the 6 tablespoons of olive oil and the Parmesan and process until smooth. Season the pesto with salt and pepper and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the celery and blanch for 30 seconds; drain. Rinse under cold water and pat dry. Add the celery, butter beans, pickled peppers, onion and the remaining 1 cup of parsley to the pesto.
4. In a medium bowl, toss the squid with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the squid over high heat for 5 minutes, or until charred in spots. Cut the bodies into rings; leave the tentacles whole. Add the squid to the salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with the basil and serve.

Notes

One Serving 322 cal, 19 gm fat, 3.2 gm saturated fat, 18 gm carb, 5 gm fiber.