Bean Salad

We had a barbeque yesterday in a 38 C weather. We didn't know it's going to be that hot when we planned the BBQ, but hey, what can we do? I thought a very refreshing salad to go with a BBQ is a Bean salad, and this recipe was a big help.

I made some hamburgers and chicken satay. I took a picture when I started cooking them, but we were so hungry so I forgot to take a picture when they were already cooked. Hence, they still look raw in these pictures :D

As mentioned on this original recipe, the sugar in the dressing is important. I tend to agree, the sugar makes the dressing. It just so happened that our friend (who came to the BBQ) made the same salad. See, great minds think alike. I don't think she put sugar in her dressing, because it's a tad vinegarry (if that's a word). And of course, my boys said, mine tasted better. They better say that, because I am the one feeding them, otherwise there's a possibility they won't get fed anymore. ;D I added cherry tomatoes on this salad because I happened to harvest some from the garden.

Ingredients:

2 cans 400 g butter beans

2 cans 400 g 4 mix beans

2 cans 400 g red kidney beans

2 stalks of celery, sliced thinly and diagonally

a handful of flat leaf parsley

2 small onions, sliced thinly (I used white onions, but you can use red onions too)

a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)

For the dressing:

1/3 cup cherry vinegar (or use balsamic)

1/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly under running cold water.
2. In a large bowl, mix the beans, celery, cherry tomatoes and parsley.
3. In a separate bowl, mix and whisk thoroughly the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Toss the dressing into the Bean Salad.
5. Chill the Bean salad for at least an hour (or longer if you have time) for the beans to soak up the flavour of the dressing.