Three Bean Salad

I made this salad at the request of my husband.  For whatever reason, he was in the mood for a “Three Bean Salad”.  Luckily, I just stocked up on beans at Shop Rite’s famous Can-Can Sale two weeks ago, so I basically had everything I needed already in the house.  (What a relief!)  I *love* having a fully-stocked pantry and fridge!

I did some searching online for a good recipe (one that didn’t include mayonnaise…yuck!) and decided on this one.  I modified it only slightly.  My husband really enjoyed the end result, as did I.  There was absolutely no cooking involved and very minimal dishes to wash.  Just make sure you make this salad at least an hour before you want to serve it – it needs to chill out in the fridge for that long to let all the flavors to combine nicely.

Start with the chopping…

• Dice up 1/2 a red onion.  (Make sure you do a very fine dice…no one wants to bite into a big piece of raw onion!)

• Dice up 1 stalk of celery.

• Chop up about a tablespoon of fresh rosemary.

• Chop up the same amount of fresh parsley.

• Add all the ingredients to a large serving bowl.

• Give them a good mix!

• Next, open, drain, and rinse a can of red kidney beans, a can of garbanzo beans (aka chick peas), and a can of cannelloni beans (aka white kidney beans).  (P.S. – I *heart* my can drainer.  I got it from a Pampered Chef party.  It’s such a simple idea but it’s great!)

• Add the beans to the vegetables and herbs.

• Mix well again.

Now, make the dressing…

• Start with 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar.  (I was quite excited to use this.  Believe it or not, this was my first time using it!  It’s been in my pantry just dying for me to open it up!)

• Add 5 tablespoons of sugar.  (I know, I know…it seems like A LOT.  Honestly, I was apprehensive about adding so much.  The dressing was really good though and really not that sweet.  My husband didn’t even notice the sugar!  I still may reduce the amount by a tablespoon or two next time I make this.)

• Add 1/4 cup EVOO.

• Add 1.5 teaspoons salt.

• Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

• Whisk well.

• Pour over the salad.

• Mix one last time.

• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

This was the perfect summer side dish.  The flavors all came together very well.  The crunch from the celery and onion balanced the creaminess of the beans.  I hope you try it.  And if you do, enjoy!