A few favorite recipes

So I've been promising recipes, and I've been extremely lazy about it, so here goes:

Butter bean, asparagus, and shallot salad

Some canned butter beans
Fresh asparagus, 1 bunch
Shallots (1 or 2 cloves)
salt
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Wash the asparagus and trim the ends if you so desire. Steam for about 10 minutes, depending on how thick the spears are. Cut into 1-inch long pieces and chill. Open the can of beans and rinse well. Peel and slice the shallots into very thin slices. Mix the asparagus, butter beans, and shallots together in a bowl. Add salt, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to taste, and voila! Salad without lettuce, yum!

Black bean quesadillas

These are delicious and low-calorie to boot

For one serving:
2 small corn tortillas (I prefer blue corn)
2 ounces monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup canned black beans
a small amount of butter for cooking (or oil, if you so desire)
Some tomatillo sauce

Melt some butter in a pan, and place one tortilla in the pan, on medium heat. Crumble or slice half the cheese and add to the tortilla. Add half the black beans. When the cheese starts to get gooey, fold the tortilla in half. Flip frequently to avoid burning, until the cheese is entirely melted. Cook the second tortilla in the same way. Add some tomatillo sauce. (To make tomatillo sauce, de-paper the tomatillos and wash thoroughly. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain. Mix by hand or in a blender or food processor. And that's it!)

Healthy whole wheat bread

In my attempts to eat more healthfully, I've wanted to make homemade whole wheat bread, but most recipes require eggs, milk, butter, and honey, which all have a bit more fat than I would like, and require me to keep ingredients on hand that I would not normally have, such as milk. However, my wonderful baking sister provided me with a fabulous recipe that I need to preserve here for posterity (or else I will have to ask her AGAIN for the recipe, and she will throw a cookbook at me). Here goes:

2 cups warm water
1 tbsp yeast
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp oil
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups white bread flour

Proof the yeast, mix it all together, let rise 1.5 hours (1 hour if your house is really warm, or you leave it next to a cozy fire or sunny window). Scrape out of the bowl, divide into two, flatten each piece, then fold into thirds like a business letter. Press gently into a baking pan lined with cooking oil or parchment paper. I tried one of each tonight, and they both worked just fine. Let rise another 45 minutes or so. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes, turning halfway. Voila! Fabulous, healthy whole wheat bread!