Monday, 6 February 2012

Power Packed Bean Salad

                                                            Lou’s Four Bean Salad

We have been (get it, been/bean)really lucky over here in New Zealand and had a public holiday today, meaning a lovely long weekend. We packed up the kids on Friday night and raced off for a quick break with family, about a four hour drive away to Napier. The weekend and time out was fantastic, but it meant we got home late tonight, still with homework, unpacking and ironing to do ready for the week. In the midst of the general chaos of lost homework sheets, and discovering our dog had wet my daughter’s bed!!!!!, a quick dinner was needed. Now be warned – this involves canned veges, but this blog is after all about making vegan simple.

This protein packed power salad includes Red Kidney Beans, Green Lima beans, Butter beans and Chickpeas so is super colourful. Add mint and avocado, and you have a picture worthy salad.

To whip up this culinary delight you will need:
3 Cans of mixed beans
1 Can of chickpeas
1 Red Onion
1 Avocado
Salt and Pepper to taste
A few handfuls of chopped mint

Dressing
Juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Directions

  • Finely chop red onion
  • Chop avocado into small cubes
  • Rinse, drain and add the beans to a bowl containing the avocado and onion
  • Sprinkle though chopped mint ( I like mine roughly chopped)
  • Add Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Combine the juice of a lemon with the cumin, and mix through the salad.

We served ours cold, over brown rice.

Question: Do you ever use canned vegetables?

  • Anna @ The Guiltless Life

    Loving this new look blog Ali! This salad sounds FABulous…I would even eat it now, and that's rare that I crave a salad during winter haha! Wish I was over in NZ! :)

  • Anonymous

    This looks fantastic will try this week. How is it in NZ? My bestie lives there just outside of Auckland!

  • Ali

    Oh thanks so much Anna. I just need to convert to wordpress now and I will be happy!
    You can have it hot in the winter if cold doesn't do it for you. I had leftovers heated up for lunch today.

  • Ali

    Hi there – thanks for stopping by! NZ is great, although I have to say Summer has been pretty non – existent this year :(
    How cool your bestie is over here, hope you get to visit?

  • Char @ www.charskitchen.ca

    oohhh I so love bean salad! and I love that there's avocado in this! <3

    and yes, I used canned and frozen veggies. not all the time, but I don't discriminate my vegetables ;) I'll eat them from all sorts of sources, haha

  • Ali

    Hi Char- yes the avocado really makes it!
    I would love to stick to fresh veges, but sometimes I am just too busy!!