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This Week's Recipe: Summer Bean Salad
This was a go-to summer recipe for me back when I was in my early 20s and new to cooking. I hadn't made it for years, but recently found myself craving it as I harvested green beans. I looked at some internet recipes and tried to recreate what I remembered. My family loved it. It is fun to adapt with whatever vegetables and beans you have on hand. I've been known to use as many as 5 different types of beans in a large batch, with a rainbow of vegetables. Some recipes include sugar for a sweeter dressing, but I prefer without.
Salad Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup green beans, lightly steamed
1 can (or 1 1/2 cups) kidney beans or shell bean of your choice
1 can (or 1 1/2 cups) garbanzo beans or shell bean of your choice
1/2-1 cup chopped vegetables of your choice (bell pepper, cucumber, corn, artichoke hearts, celery, etc.)
1/2 cup diced red onion (I prefer shallots)
Dressing Ingredients:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste
optional: chopped fresh parsley
- Steam the green beans until bright green. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking.
- Combine all beans and vegetables in a large bowl and stir gently to combine.
- In a small bowl or jar with lid, combine dressing ingredients and shake or whisk to combine. Pour dressing over salad and gently stir to coat. Refrigerate and serve cold.
A few other fun ideas with this week's harvest:
- Chop zucchini into small cubes and freeze them. Use the frozen zucchini cubes in place of ice when making smoothies to add an extra vegetable without changing the flavor. Smoothies taste creamier when made this way!
- Watermelon juice is very refreshing! If you have leftover watermelon, try juicing it. It's especially good with a little bit of lime juice mixed in. (https://nyssaskitchen.com/the-easiest-watermelon-lime-juice/)
- Try shredding leftover boiled potatoes and frying up as breakfast hash browns. Let them crisp in the pan without stirring too frequently for a deliciously crispy side for your morning eggs. Balance out your meal with some sautéed kale and garlic for a restaurant-worthy breakfast!
- If I'm not going to get through all of my cherry tomatoes, I pop them in my dehydrator and save for later use in place of sundried tomatoes.
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