Recipe: Three Bean Salad

    I'm so glad that it is summer salad season! I hope that you appreciate alliteration as well as a great cold side salad.  I know I do!  Last month, I shared my recipe for Quinoa and Avocado Salad.  Now I will share with you one of my very favorite side salads.  I have made this one so many times that I have lost count.  This is my go-to recipe to bring to a pot luck or summer barbecue.

After the jump you can get the full recipe with pictures.  Enjoy!

The ingredients that you will need are:

- 1 can of black beans

- 1 can of garbanzo beans

- 1 can of white beans

- 2 or 3 celery stalks

- 2 medium tomatoes

-small red onion

-1/2 of a cucumber

-as much chopped garlic as you would like

-2 cups of steamed green beans

-a simple oil and vinegar dressing

    Aside from the 3 types of beans, all of the ingredients can be considered optional.  You can add other things as well.  In the past I have included red pepper, artichoke hearts, or carrots when some of the ingredients listed above were not available.

First, get a bowl that you want to store or serve the dish in.  Next, rinse off the three cans of beans in a colander until the water runs clear.

    I am making two batches, so I doubled the recipe.  Here is a picture of my two sets of beans.

     Make sure that whatever combination of added veggies you have chosen are cut in pieces that are about the same size.  I quartered the cucumber and sliced it, halved the celery stalks and diced the onions and tomatoes.  In my opinion, the secret flavor is the red wine vinegar and oil dressing that I use.  You can find it at most grocery stores and it is my absolute favorite dressing.  If you read this blog long enough, there will be many future recipes that include it.

     Add everything into the bowl either stir, or close your container and shake it around.

    You can add salt, pepper and dressing to taste.  Then it's ready to be eaten right away or stored in the refrigerator and saved for another day.  Yum!