Jun. 28, 2021
Cooking In Season
Salad Meals to Beat the Heat
In this recipe round up, I have gathered my best and most delicious summer salad meal recipes in one post, for days when it’s too hot to cook!
This quick-to-make and super flavourful bean salad has been a mainstay for me since the start of the stay home order. It it made with canned beans and pantry staples, but makes a supremely satisfying lunch.
This simple delicious quick bean salad relies on a new-to-me discovery: canned mixed beans, sometimes labeled ‘mixed bean salad.’ I’m sure I am the last to know about this pantry wunderkind, but I’m glad to have been finally introduced. Much like a new friend with whom you instantly “click,” these beans have found a spot in my heart. A basic mix of at least 4 different types of bean, this style of canned bean is available in several different brands, each a slight variation on the last. They are all good. I like them because they offer a variety of tastes and textures in a single can, which is perfect for a bean salad.
Unlike the slightly-too-sweet, one-note bean salad of our childhoods, my salad is garlicky, herbaceous, bracingly flavourful, and loaded with crunch. I marinate the drained and rinsed beans with a very flavourful vinaigrette, made more acidic than usual to combat the blandness of the beans. Just before eating, I toss in a mixture of chopped vegetables, whatever I happen to have (usually cucumber, tomato, red onion, & radish) and a big handful of chopped lettuce or salad greens. Top the salad with fresh herbs or some crumbled feta cheese, and your wonder lunch is ready.
If you happen to have some simple delicious quick bean salad leftover the next day, you can make a lazy panzanella – simply toss toasted bread cubes (made by toasting a slice of bread and cutting it into cubes) into the now wilted and juicy salad. The bread will absorb all the excess dressing and make the salad seem new again.
Yes, am I a heathen who eats directly out of the Tupperware container.
I may be sick of staying home, avoiding friends, missing yoga and any number of pre-pandemic activities, but, thanks to this salad, I am not yet sick of canned beans.
If you are looking for more stay-home friendly and pantry power recipes, check out last week’s post on my go-to Stay at Home Recipes – it features a large collection of wonderful recipes, including this delicious quick bean salad.
This gluten-free and vegan-optional salad is absolutely delicious, quick to make, and makes a perfect lunch.
Note ~ I have been using an amazingly fragrant dried Syrian oregano given to me by a gardener friend. Only 1/4 tsp is needed! You may find that you need more than the ½ tsp called for. Syrian Oregano tastes more like marjoram, which is why I gave that as the first option.
This recipe has been included by Twinkl among their top picks for 10+ Healthy (and delicious) lunch ideas for the whole family.
Jun. 28, 2021
In this recipe round up, I have gathered my best and most delicious summer salad meal recipes in one post, for days when it’s too hot to cook!
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Notifications
This is one of the best salads we’ve made in a long time! Easy to make and the flavors are incredible! We added BBQ pork loin on top for protein – so good!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Usually bean salads are pretty bland but this one has tons of flavour. I mixed the beans and marinade the night before and added the veggies the next day. Very yummy. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for an easy but great tasting recipe!
Awesome, Jen, thanks for the feedback. I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This was a winner tonight Heidi! So delicious. Made it just before dinner and as you suggested marinated the beans, parsley, garlic and onion for a while before adding veggies and greens. Tossed it a few times and we ate the lot.
Thanks!
Yay! Awesome, Jill! So glad you made it and loved it!
Hi Heidi – thanks so much for reaching out and keeping our address on your list. This has come at a most important time as my husband has some health issues and has been asked to switch to “as much as possible” a plant based diet. We need all the help we can get!
Otherwise, we are keeping safe, and healthy in as many ways as possible – times have changed but everything always evolves – lets hope the day of sharing each other’s company returns. All the best to you and yours.
Hi Heidi,
I’m so glad my newsletter came at a good time for you and your family. let me know if you need help navigating any plant-based recipes. All the best to your family -stay safe, stay well 🙂
We just bought canned beans last night. Perfect timing! I can’t wait to make this. Pinning.