Black Bean and Chickpea Salad

Seven months??? Have I really not blogged for seven months??? How decadent! The fact is, I was totally traumatized by the failure of the Orange Sponge Cake I blogged all those months ago. The other fact is, my husband’s been doing the cooking because I’ve been wildly busy.

“Doing wot?” you ask. What’s on My Mind? So there’s your answer!

Today’s excellent recipe comes from friends (and chefs extraordinaires) George and Linda Froehlich, of Vancouver, Canada. As many cooks do, I made some changes to George and Linda’s recipe: This is how recipes evolve to become “yours.” That’s the great thing about cooking! You’re in charge! 

You’ll find George and wife Linda on Facebook at George’s Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/georgeskitchennow/

Black Bean and Chickpea Salad:

This recipe requires extra time 

for marination

To Prepare the Salad:

1 - 19 fl. oz. (540 mL) can black beans 

1 - 19 fl. oz. (540 mL) can chickpeas

6 cherry tomatoes (the same or different colours), halved (see Tomato Note)

1/4 each orange, red, green bell peppers, seeded and diced (see Bell Pepper Note)

1 sweet white onion, diced (see Onion Note)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Rinse black beans and chickpeas in cold water, draining well. Add beans, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic cloves, and onion, mixing carefully to keep tomatoes intact. Immediately add dressing, tossing carefully. 

To Prepare the Dressing:

4 tbsp. (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. (30 mL) apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine olive oil and cider vinegar, pouring over mixture. Season to taste, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate overnight, to blend flavors. 

George and Linda’s Black Bean and Chickpea Salad

This salad keeps two or three days, covered and refrigerated. After that, give it the shove as you would house guests who over-stay their welcome. 

Tomato Note: I used 12 cherry tomatoes as a “pop” of color.

Bell Pepper Note: George and Linda’s recipe doesn’t use bell peppers. If you’d prefer to leave the peppers out, do!

Onion Note: The mild taste of sweet white onions is great, but I decided to zip things up by substituting 3 tbsp. (15 mL) finely sliced green onions (“Spring onions”).