Happy Canada Day!
Between Canada Day and July 4th weekend, we have officially entered BBQ and picnic season. I am not a huge BBQ lover. Mainly because grilled meat, mayonnaise covered potato salads, sour cream and onion potato chips and two liter bottles of Coke do little for me.
I also know better then to send you on your way to a typical summer BBQ with a bowl of quinoa tabouli and expect you not to be taunted for being a rabbit-food-eating-hippie. This is where the beans come in. For whatever reason, bean salads can happily cross the bridge that between man's man BBQ'd food and healthful vegan fare.
Beans, however, are synonymous with tooting. Cooking the beans with a piece of Kombu (a seaweed) helps reduce the gas factor. I have tried to find out why this works but have come up with nothing. If you know, please share.
Here is my cooking method to reduce the fart factor.
- Soak the beans overnight (for about 12 hours)
- In the morning, drain the water and rinse thoroughly
- For every cup of beans you'll be cooking, use 4 cups of water.
- Add a strip of Kombu (a seaweed) to the pot and bring the beans to a boil.
- Allow beans to boil for about 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to a simmer for 2-4 hours until beans are tender.
- Drain and rinse again.
My bean salad is a mix of cooked beans and lentils, some roasted veggies as well as some fresh, raw vegetables. Of course I accessorized it with a little home sprouted mung beans.
Toot-Free Sweet Potato and Mixed Bean Salad
by
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Keywords: roast mix salad lunch entree dinner side dairy-free gluten-free low-sodium nut-free soy-free vegan vegetarian beans sweet potato July 4th whole food American summer
Ingredients (Serves 4-6)
For the Salad
- 1 cup dry beans (or 2 cups cooked, equal to 1 can) – choose whichever you like best- I went for a mix of black eyed peas, black beans and green lentils- 1/3 cup of each)
- 1 cup cucumber, cubed
- 1/2 red pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 yellow pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 Tbs Parsley flakes
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro or parsley
- sprouted mung beans (or sprout of choice) to garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup flax oil
- 1/4 balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbs Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp grated ginger
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.
Toss together sweet potato, onion, garlic, olive oil, parsley flakes and paprika.
Lay out in roasting pan and place in oven, set for 30 minutes.
While sweet potato is roasting, rinse and drain beans and place in large mixing bowl and allow to cool.
Add in cucumber and red pepper.
Mix dressing in a jar.
Once sweet potato is lightly browned and soft without being mushy, allow to cool slightly and add to mixing bowl.
Mix in fresh parsley or cilantro.
Add dressing and toss. Sea salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately with sprouts on top or allow to sit in fridge to marinate.
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