With us being in the middle of a heatwave in the UK it is the perfect time to live off salad and this one is a great choice as a main meal or as an accompaniment to another dish. I mainly cook just for me and my mum and as she has temporal lobe epilepsy I work quite hard to make sure she has good quality nutritious meals. It is great for me as well and I love thinking of new things to make and the summer season gives me a change to eat more raw food than I normally would. This bean salad is great as it is a good source of protein and carbohydrate but is a Low GL dish and so will not have a significant effect on your blood sugar. There is a slight kick to it but you can always adjust this to your own tastes. The best thing about this recipe though is that it is quick and easy to put together making it a great choice for people with busy lives.
Spicy Bean Salad
Serves 4 as a starter/side or 2 as a main
Salad Ingredients
1 400g tin of mixed beans
1 large plum tomato diced
5cm/2in piece of cucumber diced
1/2 a green pepper diced
1/2 a small red onion chopped
A small bunch of fresh coriander/and or parsley finely chopped (save a few leaves for serving)
Dressing Ingredients
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Harissa paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Mix all salad ingredients together in a bowl. Lightly crush cumin seeds with the back of a knife and place them in a sealed container with oil, vinegar and Harissa paste. Shake well to mix and pour over salad. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
This salad can be made in advance and kept in a sealed container in the fridge.
