Smith White Bean Summer Salad

Makes 5 cups

I grow pots of mint, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. It makes me happy whenever I step outside my backdoor and literally snip a bit of this and a bit of that to add some fresh flavours and antioxidants to my food.

Here’s a professional home economist tip store an unopened can of white beans aka white kidney beans in your fridge throughout the hot summer months. Want a quick dinner? Its open, rinse, drain, throw into a big green salad and dinner is ready.

Salad Dressing:

3 Tbsp canola oil or extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

2 tsp pure amber maple syrup

1/8 tsp table salt

Salad:

One - 540 mL/19 fl. oz. can white beans no salt added, rinsed and well drained

1 stalk celery, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup loosely chopped parsley

¼ cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

½ cup diced red onion

½ cup/3 oz. crumbled feta cheese

1. Make the Salad Dressing: In a large bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, maple syrup and salt.
2. Add the drained white beans, celery, red pepper, parsley, mint, red onion and feta. Toss well. Serve right away or store in the fridge for up to three days. Great to pack for a picnic, see sidebar and picture on page xx.

Makes 5 cups

One serving = 1 cup

Per Serving: 246 Calories, 12.6 g Total Fat, 3.7 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 15 mg Cholesterol, 265 mg Sodium, 23.4 g Carbohydrate, 6.1 g Fibre, 3.7 g Sugars, 0.8 g Added Sugars, 10.5 g Protein, 426 mg Potassium

Carbohydrate Choice = 1 choice

Tip:

If the herbs are too wet the salad loses some of its flavour. Rinse the herbs under cold running water, spin in a salad spinner or pat dry with a clean tea towel or paper towels before chopping.

Check out her cookbook HERE!