Red bean salad is such an easy dish to make. All you have to do is toss some red kidney beans, shredded pickled carrots, corn kernels and other colorful veggies and you’re ready to please a large crowd. It’s an especially good complement of proteins for vegetarians. Just serve with crostini (thinly sliced grilled bread drizzled with olive oil) or garlic bread (for the carb) and you’re ready to go.
I got inspired by Chrystal and Amir, the wonderful folks from The Duo Dishes. They created an amazing flavorful spicy cilantro vinaigrette that I thought would go perfectly with my salad.
1. Info for Red Bean Salad served with a Spicy Cilantro Vinaigrette
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 12
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Red Bean Salad served with a Spicy Cilantro Vinaigrette
- 2 eggplants
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sprig rosemary, torn in half
- 2 carrots
- 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-1/2 cups corn kernels (canned), drained
- 12 oz green beans
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 15-oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1-1/2 fleur de sel, or regular salt, to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon green peppercorns, to taste
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup spicy cilantro vinaigrette
3. Directions:
- For the carrots: Peel the carrots. Shred the whole carrot. If you use the Messermeister tool (see tips), you’ll get long threads of carrot pieces. Cut into about 3-inch pieces. Place the carrots in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar. Drizzle with lemon juice. Toss well. Set aside. For the green beans: Wash the green beans. Blanch them for about 2 minutes in boiling water and transfer into an ice bath. Drain thoroughly of all water, then pat dry on a paper towel. Do not overcook the green beans; they should still be tender and crisp, not mushy, or you would have depleted all the healthy nutrients. Trim the ends of the beans. Cut the beans into 1/2 inch long pieces. Set aside. For the eggplants: Trim eggplants and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Layer a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet (to collect all the excess moisture). Place the eggplant slices on the rack. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for about 20 minutes. Pat dry using a paper towel. Brush a hot griddle pan with olive oil. Place 2 pieces of rosemary on the grill to let it release its nice aroma. Lightly coat the eggplant slices with oil using a silicone brush. Place the slices on the griddle. Cook until you get grill marks (about 4 minutes on each side) over medium heat. As soon as the eggplant is grilled, season with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan. Dice the grilled eggplants into small chunks. Set aside. For the bell pepper: Wash the bell peppers, pat dry, brush with oil. Place a grill on your stove and char all the skin of the bell pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Wash the bell pepper under running water; the skin will come right off. Seed it, then dice the bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Assembly time: Combine all the vegetables. Add the cilantro. Drizzle with the spicy cilantro vinaigrette. Accompany with a steak or a roasted chicken. Bon appétit!
