Black Bean Peach Salad
Last night my boys and I went out to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. I’ve found that when looking for a restaurant with vegan options other than a side salad, ethnic is the way to go. I had delicious veggie enchiladas smothered in carrot cumin sauce…I promise to post my version of this recipe once the weather gets a little cooler.
Anyway, I ended up with a disproportionate ratio of black beans to enchiladas, so I brought the rest of my beans home. I had intended to reheat them for lunch the next day, but then remembered that Wednesdays are my park playgroup day, and that David and I would be picnicking with friends. What to do with the black beans? My mind wandered through several recipe ideas as it often does, and I landed on some kind of salad. I had a huge box of greens from Costco in the fridge so I was set. I decided to go Tex-Mex with a cilantro lime vinaigrette. I whipped up my dressing in about a minute….dressings are so easy to make! Then I began to assemble my salad. I started with my greens…I love that you can eat a giant bowl of greens for almost no calories! Of course, with such a giant salad I always feel like I am eating from a feeding trough, but I suppose it seemed fitting as our meet up today was at the local farm park!
Having fun at the park!
I layered in my leftover beans on top of my greens. Then, as I was reaching for my tomatoes I noticed my flat of peaches on the counter. Nectarines and peaches have been all over the foodie world lately, as they are in the peak of their season. I’ve seen so many swaps of tomatoes for nectarines so peaches seemed like a good choice. Plus, as all Costco flats of fruit do, they were all instantly ripe at the same time. It was a win win! I added some scallions, cucumber, and some chopped almonds for some crunch. I poured about 2 tablespoons of dressing in a tiny container to pour on top of my salad once at the park and I was set. I spent all of 10 minutes putting it together and it was such a grown up change from my regular PB&J picnic!
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Juice of 2 limes
2 T olive oil
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp turmeric
1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely minced
2 tsp maple syrup
¼ c cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
The fresh cilantro brightens up all of the flavors in this dressing!
Add all ingredients to container, seal, and shake well! Toss with your favorite salad just before serving. This makes enough for about 4 salads, and keeps well in the fridge.
The dressing is nestled into the salad and ready to go!
A picnic fit for a grown up!
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