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Spiced Bean Salad

This spiced bean salad is made with fresh veggies and hearty beans tossed in an easy and flavorful dressing. The perfect meal prep lunch!
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spiced bean salad in a bowl with a spoon
Prep Time:25 minutes
Cook Time:2 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Dressing**

  • ½ tsp coriander
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp chile powder or cayenne pepper optional for heat
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • zest of ½ lemon
  • ½ tsp mustard

Salad

  • 2 cups cooked beans**
  • 1 English cucumber (or 2-3 Persian cucumbers) diced
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • 1 carrot grated
  • 1 celery thinly sliced
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced
  • 1 cup loosely packed parsley** chopped
  • 2 tangerines** diced
  • ½ cup toasted walnuts** chopped

Instructions

  • Make dressing: In a small bowl, mix together coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt, black pepper, and chile powder.
  • Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cumin seeds and stir constantly for 1 minute or until garlic just starts to turn golden.
  • Turn off heat and quickly pour the olive oil mixture into the bowl of spices. The oil should sizzle. Mix together the oil and spices and set aside to cool.
  • Prep salad: While the dressing is cooling, prepare the salad. Add all salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl
  • Finish dressing: Once the dressing has cooled, add lemon juice, lemon zest, and mustard. Whisk until well combined.
  • Toss salad: Pour dressing over salad and toss until well combined.
  • You can serve immediately, but the flavors will be better after marinating for a few hours in the fridge.

Notes

Dressing: Feel free to play around with the spice mix to find what you like best. Try curry powder, Cajun seasoning, BBQ seasoning, nutritional yeast, onion powder, etc.
Beans: Chickpeas, black eyed peas, kidney beans, white beans, or green lentils work well.
Herbs: Instead of (or in addition to) parsley, try other herbs like cilantro, mint, or dill.
Nuts: Pecans, pistachios, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds would be delicious too!
Fruit: Try other fresh fruit like apples, peaches, or mangos, or use dried fruit like raisins, dried cranberries, or dried apricots.