Best Summertime Bean and Pepper Salad |
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Prep Time: 480 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 480 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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Ever since I was a kid, I've never been fond of most bean salads, but many years ago a friend made this black bean and bell pepper salad for me, and it has become one of my - and my guests - all-time favourite summer dishes. It's great for picnics, barbeques, or any pot-luck! This recipe really needs to be refrigerated overnight to let the ingredients marinate and bring out all the flavours. Part of the appeal is in all the festive colours of the ingredients, so please, don't be tempted to substitute yellow onions instead of red, or to skimp on all three colours of peppers!! :) Ingredients:
32 ounces black beans, cooked (good quality canned are fine, just rinse & drain) |
2 teaspoons salt |
healthy dash hot sauce (or more) or red pepper flakes |
1 cup finely chopped fresh basil |
1 cup finely diced green bell pepper |
1 cup finely diced red bell pepper |
1 cup finely diced yellow bell pepper |
1 cup finely diced red onion |
2 large diced tomatoes (may substitute 16oz can of petite diced tomatoes) |
6 -8 large garlic cloves, minced (or use garlic press) |
1/2 cup olive oil |
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar or 1/2 cup qood quality red wine vinegar |
2 teaspoons sugar |
Directions:
1. Mix together all ingredients, cover, and *refrigerate overnight* (very important). Serve cold or at room temperature.
2. All ingredient measurements are approximate, as I rarely measure them - I find that while finely dicing the vegetables may be more time consuming, it's worth it for a more appealing end product.
3. You can also substitute dried basil if you don't have access to fresh, about 2-3 tablespoons dried will do. I also use a garlic press instead of actually mincing the garlic, as it's faster, easier, and gets all the good garlic juice in there - :) Enjoy!
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