I have been working on a marinated bean salad recipe. It still has a way to go.
An article recently highlighted the benefits of beans. They provide a balanced source of protein and carbohydrates without spiking blood sugars.
Also they have wonderful health properties rich with vitamins and minerals. "Beans and legumes such as red kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils are rich in some of the hard-to-get minerals like magnesium, iron, and potassium."
Moreover, "When you think of antioxidant-rich foods, you might think of brightly coloured foods like blueberries, spinach or sweet potatoes, but many varieties of beans and legumes actually rank just as high -- if not higher -- on the antioxidant scale. In fact, according to a 2004 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, some varieties of beans ranked higher in terms of total antioxidants than any other fruit, vegetable or grain. Specifically, red beans ranked the highest, followed by red kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans."
Regarding other "bean-efits" they are inexpensive and also more environmentally friendly than meat protein.
OK, this is where I am at with my marinated bean salad recipe.
- 1 can mixed beans
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup vinegar (white or balsamic) (about 50/50 with oil)
- one small chopped red onion
- one small chopped orange pepper
- two chopped celery sticks
- 1/2-1 clove garlic
- Oregano-1 pinch
- Basel-1-pinch
- one teaspoon sugar(optional)
(Drain and wash beans, combine ingredients, let them marinate in refrigerator several hours.)
(Of course, many other options still exist: lemon juice, hot sauce, olives, corn, tomato...) Do you have any suggestions to help perfect my trial and error attempts?
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