Mediterrean Mixed Bean Salad

Adapted from The View from Great Island

A delicious, hearty, Mediterranean, protein and fiber-filled salad that you can make year-round, with salty marinated feta, sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, celery, sweet peppers, cooked mixed beans, marinated artichokes and a lemony marinated feta vinaigrette.

Every year, my yoga friends do an event at my friend’s furniture store that she calls “Wine & Design” … it started out as a group of artists showcasing/selling their work at the furniture store (with furniture sale) with free wine … and has evolved into a group of local vendors selling their wares/services including chair massages. At the beginning, my yoga friends begged me to participate. The first year I brought some goodies. But I quickly realized I couldn’t afford to do this by giving away goodies.

So I started charging a bit for the goodies, just to cover the costs. Over the years, it grew and now I make things like salads and sandwiches, still charging just a nominal bit to cover the costs of the ingredients. I prep for days for this event … and every single time, somebody asks me if I cater. No, but I blog the recipes (and I give them the address to my blog).

This year, the weekend before the event, it was Mother’s Day so I went to visit my mom. She had lots and lots of beautiful mixed beans she had harvested from her garden last year and she decided I should sell them at Wine & Design. I thought if I was going to sell the beans, I needed to feature them in one of the dishes I offered … and so I went looking for a fabulous bean salad and stumbled across this lovely thing from  The View from Great Island. I kinda followed her recipe, but used my own artichoke vinaigrette dressing, because I love it so much, and of course I used my marinated feta because marinated feta just makes salads SO much better.

I had a great time at Wine & Design this year … and got lots of positive reviews on this hearty salad so I feel really good about sharing it with you. It’s the perfect salad for summertime gatherings because there’s no mayo, so it will stay safe and scrumptious even after a couple hours in the warmth of summer.

Hugs my foodie friends … I’m off to feed the cats and rest in prep for a busy day at work tomorrow. Namaste!

Mediterrean Mixed Bean Salad with Artichokes & Marinated Feta

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 - 6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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For the artichoke feta vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup artichoke marinade (the juice from marinated artichokes)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 – 4 Tablespoons olive oil from marinated feta – recipe here
• 1 – 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons white wine
• 1 – 2 Tablespoons crumbled marinated feta – recipe here

For the salad:

• 3 – 5 cups cooked mixed beans, cooled (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
• 1 cup thinly sliced chopped red onion
• 1 cup artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 cups chopped English cucumbers (or the mini version: cute-cumbers)
• 1 cup halved, sweet cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet peppers (mini or bell peppers)
• For the top: more crumbled, marinated feta and fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (or other Mediterranean herbs such as oregano, mint or tarragon)

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Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients except for the feta. Stir in the feta and set aside to let the flavors meld.
2. In a large bowl, add the beans, onion, artichoke, cucumber, tomatoes, celery and peppers. Drizzle some of the dressing over and gently toss to mix. Add more dressing if needed, to taste, then top with more feta and fresh herbs. Serve and enjoy!

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Notes

Cooking time does not include cook time for the beans or marinating time for the cheese.

To chiffonade the basil (or mint): Set leaves in a pile together, one inside the other, largest leaf on the outside. Roll them up tightly, then slice thinly across the grain horizontally to make little ribbons.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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