White Bean Soup and Celery Salad

The meal my sister decided to make was White Bean Soup (from Epicurious) and Celery Salad. I must admit, I was a little hesitant about the celery salad, especially the dates, but it was really, really good. The white bean soup recipe recommended drizzling white truffle oil on top, but next time I will skip that part--I couldn't tell any difference when the white truffle oil was added and at almost $20 for a bottle, it's too expensive not to notice (thankfully, my sister bought that and not me!). However, when Sunday came around and my sister was supposed to make lunch, she was sick with the stomach bug which went around our house. My mom and I followed the recipe closer than my sister would have. We used canned beans instead of dried beans (3 cans to be exact) and used some of the leftover homemade turkey broth from the turkey we made for Christmas day. We didn't quite puree all of it, but I think next time, I will. I love pureed soups!

Here's the celery salad recipe:

Celery Salad
1/2 of a large bunch of celery
1/2 c chopped dates
3/4 c pecans or walnuts, toasted or chopped

1/2 lg shallot, minced
1 T sherry or red wine vinegar
3 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan or Asiago) cheese, shaved

Combine celery, dates, and nuts. In a small jar or dressing shaker, vigorously shake together shallot, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper. Stir into celery mixture. Top with grated cheese.