It’s hot in Texas. I mean really, really, really, really, really hot. Some people are saying it’s the hottest summer in 100 years. Not sure what that means, but it’s hot.
So nice cool salads hit the spot these days! This recipe was given to me by a friend (thanks, Sandi!) and we tried it a couple of days ago. Even Dear Hubby declared it a hit. And it’s not only yummy – and even yummier the second day after it’s had time to chill out in the fridge – but it’s also quick, easy and most of all, healthy!
I was in a hurry to get it made and in my mouth, so the pics are limited today. But I’ll walk you through all the ingredients.
You start with a can of black beans and a can of kidney beans. I drained them in a colander and rinsed them well.
Chop up a red onion and add it to the bowl. It’s looking good already to me.
Then chop up a yellow bell pepper……
….. and a couple stalks of celery. I like to add the leafy part of the celery too. It packs a punch of extra flavor.
Chop up an apple too. I used a Granny Smith, but you can use any kind of apple you’d like.
The dressing is made with these yummy ingredients and is probably what makes the salad so good. 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (yum), 2 Tbsp olive oil (more yum), and 2 tsp agave nectar (yum, yum, yum) – I just dumped them on top of the other ingredients in the bowl and stirred everything together.
Oh! And you also need to throw in about 1/2 tsp of salt and a little ground pepper. And the recipe says to toss 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro on top as a garnish, but I chopped up a bunch and just stirred it in too. We love cilantro at our house. I put it in almost everything. Well, maybe not oatmeal.
So this was dinner the other night. Roasted asparagus with garlic (also very yummy) and Crunchy Bean Salad. I had seconds on the salad. OK, thirds. And the next day we ate it again and Dear Hubby declared it even better after it sat in the fridge overnight.
My Dear Sis from Illinois is coming for a visit next week and this will definitely be on the menu. She says she wants to eat only what I eat while she’s here and is hoping to lose 10 pounds.
In order to accomplish this I’m also going to make her ride the stationary bike at least 5 hours a day….. shhhhhh – don’t tell her.
Hugs,
Barb
UPDATE: Cindy’s comment reminded me that I thought a little fresh lime juice might also add a little extra flavor to this salad. I squeeze fresh limes into my water all the time and love the flavor. Today’s lunch was the rest of this salad so I added the lime juice. Even more yummy than before…… just sayin’.
