Bean Salad Recipe

Before you brush this recipe off because it has beans in the title please give it a chance. Beans are not my favourite ingredient. Sure, I cook with them almost weekly but I’m never happy to eat days of leftovers (unless it’s chickpeas…I love chickpeas). But since discovering this recipe, I have happily been getting a variety of beans more frequently and loving it!
Each type of bean has different amounts of vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein. For example, Black Beans are highest in Calcium and Chick Peas are highest in protein. Kidney Beans are highest in iron. You can use any varieties/quantities of beans for this recipes, giving it a high nutritional value. The combination of ingredients and the fantastic dressing gives a whole new meaning to the title ‘bean’ salad

Ingredients


1.5 cups of dried beans (any type(s)
1.5 tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar
1.5 tablespoons of Olive Oil
.5 tablespoon of lemon
1 tablespoon of fresh basil
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
1 red pepper chopped
1 Roma tomato seeded and chopped
½ red onion chopped
7 olives chopped
1 glove of minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Herb Sachet

Cheese cloth and string
Bay leaf
Parsley stem
thyme
peppercorns,
oregano

Optional: a few garlic gloves

Cooking the Dried Beans

Leave 2 parts beans to 2 parts water for 24 hours. Put water and beans in pot and bring beans to boil. DO NOT PUT SALT IN THE WATER. Skim off foam. Bring down to medium high. Place wrapped herb sachet in. Cut a few garlic cloves in half and put into the water. This will give the beans flavour.
Let them cook for 30 minutes or until moist. Bring down heat. Now add 2 teaspoons of salt and let beans sit in water for another 10 minutes. Drain beans and remove garlic and sachet.

Salad Instructions

Add Red Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil at the bottom of large bowl. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and beans (minus minced garlic and olives). Mix in. Add garlic and mix in. Beans should still be warm so they absorb the flavour. Add Olives and Salt and Pepper. Serve at room temperature,