Summer Bean Salad

I’m really not sure whether to call this a salad, or a dip, or just the most amazing flavour explosion ever to hit your mouth. It’s kind of all three.

Last weekend my cousin Lisa brought this salad to a family BBQ and it was a huge hit. Like we all couldn’t stop scooping it up. At a first glance, it seems like the standard fare; you know, we’re having a bbq/picnic/party and there’s gotta be a bean salad there,…but when you taste it, you realize this isn’t any ordinary bean salad. It is the *perfect* filling for any sort of scoopable chip or cracker. (Or if you’re like me, the perfect spoonful straight up every single time I walk past the refrigerator!)

Of course, it’s a bean salad, so its healthy (yay protein and fibre), but it’s also so darn delicious and versatile. It’s great as a side dish/dip at a party; or as a grab-and-go lunch, or a salad topper or even a bean and veggie wrap. It’s a great make-ahead dish (it gets better the longer it sits) and its really easy to assemble. My cousin gracefully shared her recipe with me, and I’ve spent the week playing around with it before sharing it with y’all. Basically, I’ve kicked up the heat a bit and swapped out one herb for another (hers used cilantro; I opted for flat leaf parsley because I’m so not team cilantro – but it’s okay if you are. We can still be friends.)

So, grab a bowl of this bean salad and I’ll meet you at the Tostitos, k?

Summer Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 19oz can lentils, drained and rinsed

1 19oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 19oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

½ red onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced (pith and seeds removed)

1 green onion, chopped

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¾ cup catalina dressing

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

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