Italian White Bean Salad

This was another recipe from a Happy Herbivore meal plan and a great way to use up all those extra beans that Ed made :)  I ate the salad on a bed of spinach with a whole-wheat tortilla.  You could also eat it in a pita pocket.  Enjoy!

Italian White Bean Salad

 

Ingredients

 

Serves 3

• 15 oz white beans (canned), drained and rinsed (i.e. navy beans)- or 2 cups of cooked dry beans
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
• ½ cucumber, diced
• 1 tomato, diced (or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced)
• ¼ red onion, diced
• 1/3 cup kalmata or black olives, diced
• fresh parsley (optional)
• 6 tbsp fat-free Italian dressing (or homemade version below)
• Black pepper to taste (optional)
• 3 cups spinach or lettuce (salad bed)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients (except spinach / lettuce) in a bowl, adding more Italian seasoning if necessary. You don't want to drench the beans and veggies, but you want everything to have a light coat of the dressing.
2. Spoon mixture onto salad bed right before serving.

 

 

Homemade Healthy Italian Dressing

 

This is what I used instead of "fat-free" store bought italian dressing.

 

Ingredients

 

• 5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1⁄2 - 3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• Italian seasoning
• dash of onion powder (granulated)
• dash of garlic powder (granulated)
• agave nectar, to taste

 

Instructions

1. Whisk vinegar and Dijon mustard together.
2. Add several dashes of Italian seasoning and whisk—it should become speckled with green bits.
3. Add 2 light dashes of onion and garlic powder, and whisk again.
4. If it’s too tart or acidic, add a few drops of agave nectar to taste. If it’s still too sharp, add more agave nectar and try diluting it with 1 to 2 teaspoons of water or broth (some vinegars and mustards are stronger than others).