New Home for Ham

Unless you’re feeding a large family, it’s hard to cook a ham and not have leftovers.

A natural for the leftovers is a ham salad. I admit that I like the type of ham salad in which the ham is diced so small that it looks suspiciously like Spam, but that’s not what I was aiming for here. This ham salad is lightened with watercress and tomatoes, while the beans add substance. The dressing is light as well, yet spiked with a little horseradish for punch.

Crisp cracker bread such as lavash and a lemony iced tea would round things out.

Ham and White Bean Salad

Active Work and Preparation Time: 25 minutes

1 1/2 cups chopped ham

1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 large bunch watercress

1/2 cup minced red onion

1 large tomato, chopped

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon horseradish

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup oil

Freshly ground pepper

* Gently toss ham, beans, watercress, onion and tomato in large bowl. Set aside.

* Combine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, horseradish and salt in small bowl. Whisk in oil until slightly thickened. Pour dressing over salad and toss again. Grind plenty of black pepper over salad.

2 servings. Each serving: 672 calories; 2,249 mg sodium; 49 mg cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 38 grams protein; 2.42 grams fiber.