Showing posts with label side dishes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label side dishes. Show all posts

Monday, October 5, 2009

Four Bean Summer Salad


This is my favorite bean salad. I could eat this just about every day. It's high in fiber and the unrefined oils are high in good fats (mono- and polyunsaturated) and Omega-3's.

While this is a good chilled summer salad, the ingredients are easy to find year-round, so you never really have to "say goodbye to summer" if you keep making this one.

It's a very flexible recipe, so you can vary it depending on what ingredients you like or have on hand.

(Timesaving tip: Canned and fresh ingredients can be chilled ahead of time for a ready-to-eat side dish.)


Four Bean Summer Salad (pinto or white, kidney, black, and garbanzo)
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

roughly equal parts kidney, white, black, and garbanzo beans (about 1/2 cup each)
-OR-
1 can Westbrae Natural organic chili beans, rinsed and drained
-plus-
½ to 2/3 can Westbrae Natural organic garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

about 1/2 small green pepper, diced

2-3 small stalks celery, chopped

a handful of fresh parsley, washed and chopped

chopped scallions (or a small amount of red onion, to taste)

extra-virgin olive oil, to coat

rice vinegar, to taste (can also add red wine vinegar - try a flavored one, like pomegranate, for variety)

liberal squirt of Barlean's flax seed oil (optional, but good for you! Adds a nice earthy note, as well.)

chopped fresh garlic (about a clove) OR garlic salt (a dash)

sea salt, herb salt, or table salt

black pepper or fresh cracked pepper


Combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill. Can be served immediately if chilled ahead.


Enjoy!