Three bean salad lunch bowl

Ingredients

0 of 15 out on the counter

• 1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2¼ cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in ½-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp water, for steaming the green beans (drained off)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice, cooled
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Put the green beans in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tbsp water. Cover and microwave 4 minutes, until bright green and just tender with a little snap. Drain, then spread them out to cool for 10 minutes. At 5,300 ft add a minute if they still squeak against the teeth.
2. 2In a large bowl whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, pepper and salt until the dressing looks cloudy and thick.
3. 3Add the sliced onion to the dressing first and let it sit for 10 minutes. The vinegar softens its bite.
4. 4Add the kidney beans, chickpeas, red pepper, parsley and cooled green beans. Fold gently so the beans stay whole.
5. 5Cover and chill at least 1 hour, or overnight. The dressing soaks in and the salad tastes rounder the next day.
6. 6For each lunch, spoon one quarter of the cooled rice into a bowl or lidded container and heap one quarter of the bean salad on top. Stir once before eating.
7. 7Pack it cold. Keep it chilled and eat within 2 hours of leaving the fridge. Leftover salad keeps in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days (our kitchen practice; we hold no published source for it yet).