Romano and Raisin Bean Salad

Tonight we had our gals over, a.k.a Shiho and Giorgia. Together we made vegan gingerbread cookies which took a bit longer than expected, leading us into dinner. Though I planned to make some bbq ribs in the oven along with a fennel and orange salad, there was one teeny problem—Giorgia doesn’t eat meat.

Back to basics, I decided to whip up a quick bean salad that brought me back to days when I’d eat a bean salad almost everyday for lunch. Chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, black beans… name any kind of bean and I could make it into a funky salad with fruits, nuts, cheeses, veggies, herbs and spices!

This salad happened to be a mix of whatever I had in the fridge and was originally intended for only our non-meat-eater, however, Shiho loved it so much that she had a second helping and even asked for a recipe so she could recreate it at home!

Although I’d eat this as a personal salad at lunch, if you want to eat it as a side dish split between others, you definitely can do that too, as we did. I would simply advise doubling the recipe or adding in another can of beans if you’d prefer stretching the salad a bit… a single can of beans was fine for us as we had a bunch of other dishes including some surprise pasta al forno delivered by my talented neighbour, Francesco.

Vegan or not, this salad will leave you feeling satisfied and with a new ideology of how tasty eating meat-free can be. The raisin and splash of syrup in this recipe add a bit of sweetness while the addition of capers help to wake up this salad. High in protein and packing a flavourful punch, this is a salad that I’ll definitely be making again both for myself and for others!

. . .

Romano and Raisin Bean Salad

*Makes 1 serving as a main or 4 servings as a side dish*

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can Romano beans, rinsed

• ½ cup raisins, pre-soaked

• 1/2 purple onion, chopped

• 1 tablespoon capers, roughly chopped

• ½ cup cooked corn

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

• Salt, pepper, oregano to taste

METHOD

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Enjoy!