Almost time for Memorial Day Weekend and first off, we certainly must always honor the day by remembering the people who died while serving in the armed forces.
Because of the brave we are able to enjoy the often extended weekend by celebrating with friend and family! If you’re headed to an outdoor event where there might be some BBQ, perhaps a picnic or just a potluck-party to kick off the unofficial start to summer, a great dish to bring is this easy Bean Salad! It’s healthy, nutrient packed and provides plenty of plant-based protein! And… may aid in weight loss!
Quick glance at some model outputs for what the weather might be…
Ok, so some areas aren’t looking too great for an outdoor event depending on the day, but some areas are definitely looking nice and feeling the summer-like warmth! This Bean Salad can be a cool refreshing and satisfying dish after being refrigerated and it’s a nice companion to BBQ, grilled meats or serves as a vegetarian option! They’re cool beans! And cool beans are so much better at a party than jelly beans…
I like to use the Organic Green Valley Beans, they offer almost every bean you can think of and they’re great tasting… with exception of the black beans – I find they have an odd taste as do my kids, so I find a different organic black bean to use. I then use sliced red onion, a great Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, half a lemon and half a lime (or just a whole one of each, either adds a nice zesty flavor) and oregano, basil and parsley. I add avocado to it when it’s ready to serve, this way avoiding the avocado turning an unattractive brown in the salad over time.
Going through all the beans used in this recipe, each packs some great nutritional benefits, all are great sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and I mentioned above, many may help aid in weight loss! What!? Kick off the start of summer while enjoying a healthy dose of this Bean Salad and keep that beach-bod you’ve been working so hard on all winter & spring!!
Beginning with Kidney Beans and going through all the beans used to Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Cannellini (white northern) Beans and Garbanzo Beans, the graphics below are not my own, many are courtesy of draxe.com, which I love his website, I hope he doesn’t get mad I use the graphics, but ALL credit goes to his site when you see the graphics with the Dr. Axe at the bottom. Another site is thescienceofeating.com and thelittlepine.com. I’ll always be sure to give credit where the graphics come from the best I can, although sometimes I find them on pinterest with no site linked or mentioned. My goal/hope is to eventually create my own just as these sites do. I love infographics, especially well-created ones!
I found this great graphic below at thelittlepine.com showing sources of plant-based proteins and many of the beans in this salad recipe are on this list! And you can add some you find here to make this recipe your own and mix it up the way you like!
Ok, so pour all beans into a strainer, rinsing thoroughly.
Place all cleaned/rinsed beans in large bowl.
Add Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, lemon and lime juice. I use about 1/2 cup of each and half lime and lemon.
Add sliced red onion.
And about a tbsp of oregano, tbsp of basil and tbsp of parsley.
Stir, shake if you have it in a bowl with lid and you’re all set! You can eat it right away or refrigerate it and then add the sliced avocado when ready to serve! It’s delicious on it’s own or when bringing it to a party, I like to include a healthy multi-grain flax chip.
If you’re having it for yourself, it makes a great accompaniment to eggs and meat! A fantastic post-workout meal!
And Kali devours it every time!
Beans, eggs and avocado… her plate shows the beans are gone!
Beans are the magical fruit! So eat more beans at every meal! Oh… I just realized why they may aid in weight loss. Lol. Enjoy!
| Prep Time | 5-10 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 15 oz Kidney Beans 1 bag or can usually comes in 15 to 15.5 oz
- 15 oz Black Beans
- 15 oz Pinto Beans
- 15 oz Great Northern Beans or Cannellini or White Kidney Beans
- 15 oz Garbanzo Beans or Chickpeas
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 Lime
- 1/2 to 1 small red onion sliced
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp basil
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1 avocado sliced and added when serving
Ingredients
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- Pour all beans in strainer and rinse thoroughly.
- Pour beans into large bowl and add olive oil and vinegar and stir.
- Squeeze lemon and lime juice and stir.
- Add sliced red onion and all herbs. Mix thoroughly.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add sliced avocado when serving