The Everything Salad Book (14 page)

This large salad is ideal for potlucks and parties. Serve the salad over a bed of greens to turn it from a side dish to entrée.

1. Drain and rinse the beans. Combine beans, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, and basil in a large mixing bowl.
   

2. Whisk vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl. Whisk until emulsified. Pour dressing over salad and mix well.
   

3. Cover salad and place in refrigerator. Let salad marinate for 2–4 hours. Remove salad from refrigerator and mix well. Stir plum tomatoes and pine nuts into salad. Serve immediately.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........288

Fat:..........8.5 g

Protein:..........12 g

Sodium:..........137 mg

Fiber:..........12 g

Carbohydrate:..........42 g

Using sun-dried tomatoes can ruin a recipe if you don't know what you're doing. Plain sun-dried tomatoes can be very dry and leathery, making them suitable for soups and stews, but not for raw dishes. Salads use sun-dried tomatoes marinated in oil and herbs. This helps keep the tomatoes a little moister, so that they're easy to chew, filled with flavor, and require no cooking.

Three-bean salad typically has a sweet-and-sour dressing coating green beans and wax beans. This recipe adds ham, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, and the spice of minced jalapeño peppers.

1. Trim green beans and steam over boiling water for 8–12 minutes until crisp-tender. Remove and place in serving bowl. Rinse and drain black-eyed peas and pinto beans and add to bowl along with sweet onion, green onions, and ham.
   

2. In small bowl, combine olive oil, lime and lemon juices, sugar, jalapeño, salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin and mix with wire whisk until blended. Pour over bean mixture, stir gently, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to blend flavors. Serve on lettuce leaves.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........297

Fat:..........16 g

Protein:..........12 g

Sodium:..........778 mg

Fiber:..........7.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........28 g

If you use canned beans for this recipe, be sure to drain the beans, rinse them, and dry them thoroughly before mixing with the other ingredients.

1. Clean the thyme and remove the leaves (discard the stems). Thoroughly drain and dry the beans.
   

2. Mix together the shallots, thyme, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and black pepper.
   

3. Add the beans to the oil mixture, and combine thoroughly. Serve immediately.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........267

Fat:..........7.5 g

Protein:..........14 g

Sodium:..........10 mg

Fiber:..........9 g

Carbohydrate:..........37 g

There are around 100 types of thyme, but garden or common thyme is what you use for cooking. You want to purchase thyme sprigs with a rich green color and perky leaves to guarantee freshness. If you're using the thyme directly in the recipe, it's important to remove the leaves and discard the stem.

Hoisin sauce is a sweet and spicy Chinese condiment. The exact recipe can change, but the sauce generally consists of soybeans, sugar, vinegar, garlic, and spices.

1. Drain, rinse, and place beans in a large mixing bowl. Whisk rice wine vinegar, teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce, and oil together in a small bowl. Add sauce mixture, water chestnuts, and bell peppers to beans. Toss well to coat.
   

2. Cover bowl and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. After chilling, toss salad to mix, garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired, and serve.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........247

Fat:..........6.5 g

Protein:..........12 g

Sodium:..........191 mg

Fiber:..........14 g

Carbohydrate:..........37 g

This simple and healthy salad pairs well with almost any beef, pork, chicken, or fish entrée.

1. Wash and trim green beans. Place beans in pan filled with 1 inch of boiling water. Cover and steam for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse beans with cold water for at least 10 seconds. Place beans in a large salad bowl.
   

2. Drizzle beans with oil and lemon juice. Mix well.
   Gently toss Parmesan, almonds, onions, and tomatoes into the beans. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........148

Fat:..........10 g

Protein:..........4 g

Sodium:..........30 mg

Fiber:..........4.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........12 g

This simple dish is great to take on picnics. It can be served chilled, slightly warm, or at room temperature.

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Simmer the potatoes until just fork-tender (do not overcook them). Drain well and dry in hot (400°F) oven for 2 minutes and let cool.
   

2. Fill a large pot with about 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. Add the beans, and cook for 4 minutes until just tender but still crisp. Drain well, shock in ice-cold water to stop cooking process, drain again, and let cool.
   

3. Peel and large-dice the potatoes. Toss together all the ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well to distribute the spices and oil evenly. Serve immediately or cover and chill in refrigerator until needed.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........224

Fat:..........15 g

Protein:..........3 g

Sodium:..........8 mg

Fiber:..........4 g

Carbohydrate:..........20 g

Red onions are sweeter than white or yellow, but the taste is still very strong. If you are eating them raw, on sandwiches for example, the taste will be mellower if you soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry before using.

The Italian cooking term al dente, which normally refers to pasta, can also be used when cooking vegetables for salads. The green beans in this recipe should be cooked until just al dente, or until there is a bit of a crunch when you bite into them.

1. Clean and cut off the ends of the green beans. Crush the hazelnuts.
   

2. Blanch the green beans and shock in ice water.
   

3. Mix together all the ingredients, and serve.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........215

Fat:..........16 g

Protein:..........5 g

Sodium:..........80 mg

Fiber:..........3 g

Carbohydrate:..........15 g

This quick recipe is perfect for when you want to impress everyone at a potluck without having to spend too much time in the kitchen.

1. Drain the beans and rinse well. In a bowl, combine the beans, onion, pepper, and salad dressing, mixing well.
   

2. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with parsley. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Mix gently before serving.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........240

Fat:..........8.5 g

Protein:..........9 g

Sodium:..........785 mg

Fiber:..........8 g

Carbohydrate:..........34 g

This cold bean salad with Tex-Mex flavors is even better the next day — if it lasts that long!

1. In a large bowl, combine the black beans, black-eyed peas, bell pepper, tomato, corn, and onion.
   

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt.
   

3. Pour dressing over bean mixture, tossing to coat. Stir in fresh cilantro.
   

4. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to mingle.
   

5. Add avocado and gently toss again just before serving.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........292

Fat:..........17 g

Protein:..........8.5 g

Sodium:..........419 mg

Fiber:..........9.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........31 g

Omit the avocado, and add some cooked whole wheat pasta and extra dressing to turn it into a high-protein Tex-Mex pasta salad!

Serve this salad the same day as it's made to ensure the tomatoes and cucumbers still have a little crisp in them.

1. Prepare edamame according to package instructions. Drain cooked beans, rinse with cold water, and drain well. Place beans in a large mixing bowl. Add garbanzo beans, tomato, cucumber, parsley, and bell pepper to bowl. Toss gently to mix.
   

2. Whisk salad dressing, garlic, honey, and pepper together in a small bowl. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 4 hours before serving.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........205

Fat:..........6.5 g

Protein:..........13 g

Sodium:..........177 mg

Fiber:..........5 g

Carbohydrate:..........26 g

Edamame beans are basically young soybeans picked before the bean has time to harden from maturity. The fat, green, oval beans come in long pods that are not particularly tasty, so you want to buy shucked beans for the greatest ease. For the best taste, look for frozen edamame beans as opposed to canned.

This marinated two-bean salad is perfect for summer picnics or as a side for outdoor barbecues or potlucks.