Bean Salad

[ElegantAura]

I usually post a lot of pictures of the food I make, but it’s mostly inexpensive and quick to prepare. For a while now, I’ve been meaning to mix things up and bring more traditional meals into the rotation. I’ll probably share some photos eventually, but for now, I’ll start with some recipes.

There’s more to my cooking than just meatballs and pasta, though I’ve been making those a lot lately, mostly not for myself. To kick things off, I’m starting with something easy. It’s simple, it’s a salad, and it’s made with beans. The beans traditionally used have a flavour similar to chestnuts, and they even look like chestnuts on the inside.(mostly used for salads) But use whatever beans you can find!

Ingredients:

• 250 g Giant black beans/elephant soaked overnight
• 1 dry onion, whole
• 1 garlic clove, peeled, whole
• 1 red roasted pepper, fresh or from a jar (well rinsed), diced
• 1 green horn/banana pepper
• ½ bunch of rocket, leaves only, roughly chopped
• ¼ bunch of parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 100 g sun dried tomatoes (from a jar, well drained), halved
• Salt, freshly ground pepper

For the dressing:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp hot mustard
• 1 tsp honey of your choice
• ½ tsp curry powder (optional)
• Salt, freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. In a pot with plenty of water, boil the beans over medium heat along with the onion and garlic for about 1½ hours, until softened. Do not add salt, as it will toughen the legumes.
2. Drain and rinse the beans.
3. Transfer them to a large salad bowl and add all the remaining ingredients.
4. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the dressing, drizzle over the salad, and serve.

There are various versions with small differences. Some recipes include ingredients like cumin, chilli flakes, smoked paprika, and oregano, along with other herbs. The vegetables are usually similar, though some people add more or less, and not all of them together... if that makes sense.