Bean salad is something that in our family we make often, especially in the summer to enjoy at picnics and gatherings. There are so many types of beans and vegetables that we can mix together to make a different salad each time. This time, we chose to follow the recipe on the package. We bought a bag of mixed beans by a company called truRoots. The variety and combination of beans in this package are ones that we thought would taste nice for soup, for salad, or even for some stews and pastas. In this mix are lentils, adzuki, and mung beans. Lentils are a staple food for us, and for many Mediterranean cultures. Many Greek families will sit down with a pot of Fakes (lentil soup) at the beginning of each winter. Although, we know that fakes are eaten all year round. Lentils, themselves, offer so many choices of what to make. But, this mix had the other two beans included, so we had to decide what to do with it. We did not know about eating adzuki beans by themselves as beans. We have heard of them being one of the superfoods of today. They are said to be good for digestion, as well as ta great source of fibre and protein. We also learned that the adzuki bean is boiled with sugar to make red bean paste that we love to eat in Asian foods (e.g. sesame balls). Mung beans are the other beans in this mix These we are more familiar with in the form of bean sprouts. Other sprouts are from soybeans, but often the mung bean sprouts are nicer looking (drier) at the grocery store. They are also often used in a variety of Asian foods. Greeks use beans regularly as part of our diet, and maybe even more during Great Lent, as a way of assuring we have an adequate amount of fibre and protein, a bean mix seemed like a natural choice for us. And, bean salad is a simple side dish that goes with almost everything!
We followed the recipe on the package. We figured that the Organic bean mix that was Gluten Free would have an interesting approach to salad. We have been reading about how many foods and seasonings have gluten, it is surprising to us. So, we wanted to make sure to keep this gluten free and organic. We went shopping specifically for organic vegetables, and read the label on the cumin to see if it mentioned any other additive or ingredients. It did not. So, how do we make the salad from this?
For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
truRoots Sprouted Bean Trio
1/4 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 small to medium cucumber
4-5 scallions (green onions)
2/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 bell pepper (green, red, or yellow)
Lemon Juice, to taste.
Start with one cup of bean mix and three cups of water to boil the beans. Cook them until they are soft and cooked through the centre.
While the beans are cooking, you should get your other ingredients ready. You want to make small enough pieces of the vegetables to go with the size of the beans. We cut a fine dice on the peppers and the scallions. The cucumber was peeled, then diced. But, with the parsley, we decided to leave the florets whole, because it looked pretty. We plucked the floret right at its base, so not to include any stems.
Once the beans are cooked, drain the water and let them cool. They should be at room temperature when adding the other ingredients. So, in a bowl, put the cooled, cooked beans and add the peppers, cucumbers, scallions, and parsley to the beans.
Once all the veggies are added to the beans, add the cumin and the lemon juice. We chose to squeeze our own lemon juice to keep this organic. You could use bottled lemon juice if it is organic, or if you are not as concerned with that. Many lemon juices are gluten free if they are only lemon, but read the label to make sure!
Mix this together well and adjust the seasonings as you need. And, just to remind you, cumin does get a little stronger as it sits and blends in with all the other flavourings.
Serve the bean salad either at room temperature or chilled, and enjoy!
We shared this with several people to see what they had to say about our organic, gluten free bean salad. Most of the people who tasted it said it was very light and fresh tasting. Two people could immediately taste the cumin,and said it was a little strong in its flavour. One person said that bean salad really is good by the vegetables in the salad, and told us, "The better the vegetables, the better the beans." We agree with that!
For us, this was a nice salad. We loved the combination of lemon and cumin, and are very familiar with it since the pair is used in many Greek (Cretan) foods. We liked the bean combination, but none of bean varieties stood out. We often used canned beans, add a little frozen corn or peas, use some sun-dried tomatoes, and make bean salads as colourful as we can. But, this was easy enough, and did look nice with the addition of the vegetables. The next time, though, we may choose a red pepper instead of yellow, just to add a little "pop" of colour. It was light, delightful, and, thankfully, there was no oil, so it is a perfect fasting food for Great Lent, as well as for any strict fasting period.
'Fasting appears gloomy until one steps into its arena. But begin and you will see what light it brings after darkness, what freedom from bonds, what release after a burdensome life.'
+ St Theophan the Recluse
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