You can use any bean you like in this recipe. I used the Anasazi Bean. This bean is indigenous to North America and was used by the Navajo. It grows predominately in the 4 corners of the United States (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah). Anasazi is the Navajo word for “Ancient One”, as this bean has been cultivated since 1100 AD. Beans are an amazing form of protein and are great for non meat eaters. In addition to protein they are packed with iron, potassium and loaded with fiber and folate. Another nice thing about this cute little bean is that it does not create gas in the body the way other beans do. Yay.
I think it’s important to always have something in the fridge that is satisfying and prepared and ready to go! This bean salad is a great choice to eat as a snack and the awesome thing is that it will stay in the fridge for about 5 days. This salad is incredible with a nice big hunk of organic feta cheese. Squeeze a little lemon, a little more olive oil, and a few drops of a balsamic reduction and you have a meal!
- 1 cup dried beans, soaked overnight and boiled for about 1-2 hours in water until tender (you can use canned beans if you must, but make sure they are BPA free)
- 1 cucumber diced small
- 1 red bell pepper diced small
- 1/2 of a red onion diced small
- 1 large roasted red pepper diced
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf italian parsley, chopped
- handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- juice & zest from 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons vinegar ( balsamic, or red wine)
Soak the beans over night in a bowl of water in refrigerator. The next day, throw of the soaking water and rinse the beans will. Boil the beans in salted water about 1 hour or until tender. Drain. Toss the beans with a generous pinch of sea salt, black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Set these aside, and allow all the flavors to marry while you prep the veggies.
Chop all the veggies nice and small. Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. I like to serve this salad with extra olive oil drizzled on the plate, and a little drizzle of balsamic, wedge of lemon and a large hunk of feta cheese.
