Three Bean Summer Salad

I’m comin at ya with a light and fresh summer salad – one that is sure to please, even for anyone opposed to beans.

Promise!

When my typical blogging schedule goes awry and I haven’t posted in a while, I start to have withdrawals and this anxious feeling sets in. My family starts to wonder what’s wrong and why I’m not posting – then come the texts and calls and messages. Sometimes I’m not the best at keeping in touch and lately, not the best at sticking to a posting schedule but getting your life organized and everything in order takes time (and way too much of it!) just taking life day by day over here, ya know?

Finishing my 5-Day Body Balance Cleanse was a feat for me and I’m truly thankful for all of your support! 🙂 Now that I can write a check mark next to the cleanse, my focus can shift on to the next thing. Does that ever happen to you? Where one task takes over your life for a bit and nothing else matters until it’s dunzo?!! Yes. 

So it feels super refreshing to be writing and creating again. Like, I really have missed my regular schedule and way of life. Not to mention… YAY for the hot sun and beach days and watermelon juice (I literally make this everyday now) and FRESH produce. Grocery shopping is such a breeze now right? I’m weird though and look forward to grocery shopping so maybe that’s just me. Fresh fruit & veggies (plus beans for this recipe!) and you are good to go.

Nothing else matters. 

This Three Bean Summer Salad could not be any easier. Promise. It’s one of those salads that gets better with time. After sitting in the fridge for a few hours, soaking up the Oil-Free Vinaigrette Dressing, the flavors really mesh together and amplify, making it that much tastier. Plus, it’s chilled and refreshing with a sweet crunch from the corn & sugar snap peas. I love snacking on this at all times of the day. 

This salad is for:

• snacking
• lunching
• picnicking 
• as a simple side
• as a quick appetizer
• over romaine lettuce for dinner (with garlic bread, maybe?!) YUM

Serve with:

• crackers
• tortilla chips
• on toast
• in a wrap
• over brown rice
• by the spoonful

Really though, anything goes with this versatile bowl of YUM. Just have it ready to go in the fridge and thank yourself later. Plus it’s low-fat, full of nutritious plant based protein and fiber to keep you full and satisfied. Beans have become a serious staple in my diet. I SO rely on them!! They’re the easiest way to add substance, quickly, to literally anything you make. 

Focusing on how I feel after each meal has led me to uncover some unfortunate news.. garbanzo beans don’t sit well with me… they hurt my stomach! I always thought that was just beans in general right?? Nope – it’s something to do with the lectin in those little chickpeas 🙁 so I’ve been trying other beans and left garbanzo beans out of this recipe but, feel free to use any kind you like. 

Listen to your body and if something isn’t making you feel good (stomach pain, bloating etc) find out what it is exactly. No one needs to deal with that! Guess this means I need to share chickpea-less hummus recipe??!

Three Bean Summer Salad

• Prep Time: 10
• Total Time: 10

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Ingredients

• 1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz. can of corn (no salt added)
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, chopped

Oil-Free Vinaigrette Dressing

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon spicy dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Whisk together the dressing in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and toss.
3. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for 2 hours (or more) to allow the flavors to mesh together.
4. Stays fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.