HEALTHY - EASY TO MAKE - PREP AHEAD OF TIME - BURST OF TEXTURES & FLAVORS!
Are you in the mood for a fresh, mouth watering bean salad? Well, do I have one for you! We don't wait for summer to eat this gem in my home, nope, I make this all year long! It's kind of a staple in my fridge. It's a snap to make, so healthy and packed with flavor!
This has been a long time favorite amongst my kids and our friends. It goes well as a side dish and can be a meal in of itself. It's protein rich, uses staple pantry ingredients and vegetables you probably already have on hand and is extremely easy to prep and throw together. It can be made the day before your event or for meal prepping. It's perfect to throw together on a Sunday to eat all week long. The different flavors and textures are melded together creating a tantalizing marinade with dill, olive oil or oil of your choice, salt and pepper and fresh squeezed lemon juice.
This salad actually gets better the longer it marinades. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! You can use different oils depending on what you have on hand. I just happened to have avocado oil which was wonderful! Buying organic is always a plus for your health and picking some of these veggies up at your local Farmer's Market makes it a lot of fun to prepare!
Recipe adds: Try cutting up Hearts of Palm. The organic Hearts of Palm are a thousand times better than the other! Avocado!! Make sure to add right before serving and coat with lemon juice to keep it from browning. If you don't like garbanzo beans, then substitute with cannelini beans or vice versa. I like both, so I use both in the same batch. Cut up dill pickles, Mozzarella Cheese cubed, salami cubed or any meat or seafood to make it a main dish. And I've used all sorts of oils such as Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, even Lavender Oil. Try different ones to see what you like best or what you have on hand.
Sweet juicy tomatoes, combined with the nutty creamy flavor of the garbanzo beans and the tender flesh of the cannelloni bean, crisp fresh cucumbers, green and black olives and the sweet red onion mixed with dill is out of this world! Let the flavors meld together with the dressing to give it a deeper flavor!
*Tomatoes are very nutritious including vitamin C, potassium, vitamin K1 and folate vitamin B9.
Yum!!
*Garbanzo Beans are rich in protein, folate, fiber, iron, phosphorus, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids including linoleic and oleic acids.
*Cannellini beans carry B vitamins, including B12. They also provide iron, potassium, zinc, and other essential minerals.
*Cucumbers are packed with nutrients. In just a single cup of cucumber slices, you'll get 14% to 19% of the vitamin K you need for the day. You'll also get vitamins B and C along with minerals like copper, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium.
I eat these green olives by the can! I literally can't get enough of them! Whole Foods and Trader Joes always has them in stock!
Nutritional Facts:
protein needs, 12.5 g of fiber, 474 mg of potassium, The fiber, potassium, B vitamins,
*Cannellini beans contain a wealth of B vitamins, including B12. They also provide
iron, potassium, zinc, and other essential minerals.
*Olives are very high in vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants.
*Grape tomatoes have vitamins A and C. Vitamin A supports eye, bone, and skin health
and protects against infection. Grape tomatoes are a good source of fiber. One cup
contains 16% of the daily value. Eat up!
*Red onions are high in vitamin C, folate B9, vitamin B6 and potassium.
*English cucumbers are loaded with vitamin K. Cucumbers also have a healthy dose of
vitamin A and vitamin C, which help maintain healthy skin, vision, neurological
function, and bones.
*Fresh Dill weed contains vitamin C, manganese, vitamin A, folate and iron.
*Fresh Lemon juice contains vitamin C, potassium and vitamin B6.
In short, this salad is loaded with vitamins!
*Try serving your bean salad in something different than a bowl. It's fun using different colors and shapes depending on the table or counter in which it will be displayed. My orange bowl (made by Sally Russell by the way and my all time favorite bowl to use!) gives a bright happy feel, while this wood serving dish gives a very organic feel. Change it up and have fun with it!
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