This delicious mix of plant-based goodness is sure to satisfy your craving for the traditional three-bean salad, which is typically made with lots of oil and sugar.
But this Three-Bean Salad is the bomb! It tastes great, is low-fat and is much healthier for you! Simple ingredients makes this an easy dish to throw together for your next BBQ or picnic.
I can’t say enough good things about beans. First, they’re on Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s list of the “most nutrient-dense, health-promoting foods on the planet.”*
His list has the acronym, G-BOMBS – Greens, Beans, Onions, Berries and Seed. He recommends that you eat these foods daily, and this three-bean salad is a great way to do just that.
Beans and other legumes act as an anti-diabetes and weight-loss food. They are digested slowly, and thus stabilize your blood sugar.
Beans contain soluble fiber, which lowers your cholesterol levels. Beans also give your friendly gut bacteria something to chew on. Bacteria actually ferment the fiber into “short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, and butyrate protects against colon cancer.”**
To make this three-bean salad, you can use any of your favorite beans, canned or freshly made. The traditional unhealthy three-bean salad recipe used green beans, and that’s an option as well.
I like to use kidney, white or black beans, and chickpeas. Then I spice them up with some red onion, chopped celery, and parsley, or even cilantro.
Protein-packed plant-based recipes to try:
- High Protein Trail Mix
- Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Cream
- Vegan Avocado Brownies
- Easy Breakfast Chia Pudding
The dressing is traditionally made with a lot of white sugar, but for this version, we’ll substitute white sugar with either maple syrup or your favorite substitute sweetener. For a granulated sugar substitute, erythritol is the best according to Dr. Michael Greger of Nutritionfacts.org.
Watch his video, Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant, to get the lowdown.
Try this easy bean salad and increase your consumption of beans daily.
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Three-Bean Salad! If you have a photo and post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
This recipe is Certified Plantricious because it meets the following guidelines.
The Trusted Seal for
Plant-Based Nutrition
- Must be whole food plant-based, contains no animal products
- May be minimally processed
- No added oil
- No added sugars
- No artificial additives or preservatives
- Sodium (mg) to Calories ratio, 1 ≤ 1
- Total Fiber to Calories, 2g ≥ 100 calories
Three-Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup red onions peeled and finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- 1 cup curley leaf parsley chopped
Dressing
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the beans, red onions, celery, and parsley
- In a separate bowl, mix the dressing ingredients with a whisk.
- Pour dressing over the bean mixture and stir to combine.
- Serve on top of lettuce greens, as a side dish, or with a cold soup or rice dish.
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