Three Bean Salad

Salads

By Dixya

First of all, I want to thank you reciperedux team for allowing me to be part of this great community again. After slacking off for almost a year, I am really excited to be back and connect with my fellow recipereduxers. This months theme is “Bars & Bites for Brown Bags” which is perfect because it’s time for back to school and I am always looking for new ideas to bring to work for lunch/snack. I find that carrying my own food is the best way to keep myself away from sugary candies and salty snacks from the cafeteria/vending machines because I am surrounded by it all the time. Also, did I mentioned carrying your own snack is so much more nutritious and cheaper? When I think of the theme – bars and bites, I automatically think of mini-muffins, granola bars, or energy balls but I am taking the savory route with three bean salad. I do have a some sweet-inspired bars and bites recipe (which I will share below) but this three bean salad can easily be part of your lunch box for a quick bite as well. The salad like the name suggests has three different beans namely green beans, kidney beans, and cannellini beans with a simple dressing of oil and vinegar.

This three bean salad is one of those minimal recipes which everyone should have in their back pocket because you never know when you will need a quick side, need something to bring to a BBQ or to get out of a salad rut. Three bean salad is packed with fiber and protein from different beans while bell pepper adds a color and is a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. I added some chopped pickled jalepenos for some heat but that’s totally optional (but recommended). I find that the salad will develop more flavor as it sits in the refrigerator and will taste even better the next day. You can definitely make this more substantial by adding some quinoa or couscous and call it a meal – just saying.

Three bean salads I have had in the past are always sweet and tangy which I like a lot but feel free to adjust the amount of sugar and vinegar based on your preference. I would start with a teaspoon or so of sugar and gradually add to suit your taste. Hope you will find this salad as appetizing as I did and make it part of your lunchbox soon.

PS. Friday posts are typically set for half-marathon progress but this week I don’t have much to share as I have been travelling and with my brother visiting, I was not able do run much. I had those on my schedule already and since my plan is 14-weeks long, it kind of worked out. Hopefully running will be back to normal from next week.

PSS. I will be in San Antonio this weekend and would love some recommendations for places to eat and things I must do/see.

Three Bean Salad

Three Bean Salad is a simple, healthy salad with three different beans and a quick dressing of oil and vinegar.

Ingredients

6 oz green beans ( I used frozen but canned or fresh ones are fine too)
1-14 oz can kidney beans
1-14 oz can cannellini beans
1 small onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
3 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeno (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
scant 1 tablespoon sugar
salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Set up a large bowl of ice water. Add the beans (fresh or frozen) to the boiling water, and cook until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes. May have to increase the time if using fresh green beans. Drain and plunge the beans into the ice water to stop the cooking and set their color. Drain. Chopped them half lengthwise.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, bell pepper, jalapeno and onion.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper until well combined.
Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and let it marinate for at least half an hour before serving.

Here are some bars/bites I encourage you to try:

No Bake Oats and Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Date Bars

Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies

Banana Almond Butter Cups (needs to be frozen)

Raw Energy Bites

Don’t forget to check out recipes from other reduxers!