Three Bean Salad

This colorful, tangy sweet(but not so sweet though)hearty salad is so tasty to munch on any time of the day. It's a simple vegan, gluten free side dish that perfectly pairs with any meal and easy to make at home using simple pantry ingredients. Store unused portions in the refrigerator up to a week.   

Beans and legumes are great source of plant protein, fiber, vitamin, iron and eating them as part of our daily diet, be it curried or just salad. Even if it's time consuming to soak and cook dried beans but it's always worth the effort. I soak overnight and boil it in a pressure cooker. I prefer to make in bulk and freeze in individual  containers for later use. 

I always make any type of bean salad from scratch and it is much tastier and healthier than store bought version. I use coconut nectar instead of refined sugar to make it hypoglycemic. If you don't have access to that sweetener use raw sugar or maple syrup.I take 1 cup of each dried beans for cooking and use them in different recipes. One cup dried beans equals close to 3 cups of drained cooked beans. For dressing, I use mostly white vinegar and little apple cider vinegar. If you like the smell of apple cider vinegar just use only apple cider one to make it grain free. You can use red wine vinegar as well.   

Ingredients~
1 cup kidney beans
1 cup garbanzo beans
1 cup freshly cut green beans
1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp Himalayan pink salt or regular salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp or more coconut nectar 
1/3 white vinegar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water

Method~
Wash and soak both beans overnight separately in 2 1/2 cups water (for each beans). Drain water and cook chickpeas in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover it, 1/2 tsp salt over medium high heat until 2-3 whistles. Let pressure release naturally. Use same method for red kidney beans. Cook over medium high heat for until 7-8 whistles as it needs more time than garbanzo beans. Let pressure release on its own. 

While beans are getting cooked, prepare green beans and dressing.
Microwave cut green beans with a couple of tbsp of water in a microwave safe swallow bowl for 3 minutes on high heat with a lid. Carefully remove from the microwave and set aside. Boil water and vinegar together. Turn off the heat. Whisk together oil, salt, minced garlic, onions, coconut nectar, parsley and black pepper. Add cooked beans, green beans and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve this yummy salad as snack or with any meal. 

Happy Cooking!!