With the weather warming up and bathing suit season coming earlier than usual, I have gone into turbo-mode trying to get fit for all my pretty summer outfits.  This mixed bean salad is the perfect afternoon snack or light meal for everyone trying to get in shape for summer, but is so delicious that you definitely won’t miss the calories (or the meat!). The best part about this high-fiber, high-protein, low-cal meal is that it’s completely vegan- so any vegetarians or vegans out there will enjoy chowing down on this amazing salad too!  You can enjoy it on its own, on top of a bed of greens, or as a side to your dinner. The nice thing about this salad is that it actually gets better the longer it is left to saturate in the dressing, so it can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to a month (great for work lunches!).

Although canned beans are fine to use, I prefer using dried beans. I find they hold up a bit better, and you definitely get more value from a dried bag, which never gets old and can be used as needed. The thing to keep in mind when cooking beans from dried is, it takes a bit longer than the already-softened canned beans. If you are making anything with dried beans, either soak them overnight (I find this to be the best method) and then boil for an hour until tender. Allow to sit covered for another 20 minutes before using. If this method seems a bit tedious for you, there is a fast boil method for dried beans-  place beans into a pot filled with water (remember beans expand quite a bit, so make sure there’s lots of room in the pot!) and bring to a boil for 2-4 minutes. After that time, turn off the stove, cover the pot, and allow to sit for 1 hour. Cook beans the same way as you would, were they soaked overnight (boil 1 hour and allow to sit 20 minutes). If you are using canned beans, simply drain, rinse thoroughly, and continue with the recipe.

This recipe is incredibly versatile and allows you to use whichever beans you like or have on hand. In this recipe, I used a combination of black beans, black eyed peas, white navy beans and Romano beans. Likewise, you may use whichever veggies you like. Just make sure that the vegetables are all diced very very finely, so that there are no oddly sized, large pieces of anything in your salad. I strongly recommend using onion, either red white or green, celery, tomato, and peppers. Cucumber would also be an excellent addition to this nutritious salad.

To garnish my bean salad, I actually used finely-sliced celery hearts (the leafy part of the celery that people normally throw away)- it’s a great use for a part of the celery that usually goes otherwise unused, and it adds a beautiful refined look and elegant flavour element. Of course, you can use basil, parsley, or anything else you like.

The dressing is a simple mixture of minced garlic, white wine vinegar, honey, Dijon, and olive oil. When assembling your salad, simply whisk the dressing together, toss in the beans and coat well, and add additional oil as needed until the beans are fully covered. Season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

Mixed Bean Salad- substitute the beans in this recipe with any beans you like or have on hand!

You will need:

• 2 tbsp dried black beans (or 1 can)
• 2 tbsp dried Romano Beans (or 1 can)
• 2 tbsp dried black eyed peas (or 1 can)
• 2 tbsp dried white pea beans (or 1 can)
• 3 stalks celery, very finely diced
• 2 tomatoes, very finely diced
• 1 bell pepper, very finely diced
• 1 small red onion, or 4 green onions, very finely diced

For the dressing:

• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil, plus more if needed to finish salad

Method:

1. If using dried beans, cook according to package directions (or see notes above)
2. Allow to fully drain and dry before mixing with other ingredients.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, honey, Dijon and white wine vinegar. Add the oil, and whisk well.
4. Toss in diced veg and beans, and stir gently, making sure everything is evenly mixed and well-coated. Add additional drizzles of olive oil to make sure beans are well coated in oil (they will absorb the oil and soften a bit more in the fridge).
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Eat immediately, or store in fridge for a month.