Super Summer Salads – Straight from the Pantry
From: The American Institute for Cancer ResearchWhen the sun is scorching, your energy is zapped and your family is famished, a quick and easy meal-in-a-salad is as close as your pantry shelf. Even if your stock of fresh produce is low, you can create scrumptious and hearty salads with canned beans and vegetables. Laced with whatever fresh vegetables and herbs are on hand, bean salads will gratify your family's appetite and supply them with solid nutrition and health-protective substances.

Beans are an important part of a diet that lowers the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Although some canned beans are high in sodium, some of it can be washed off with a cold-water rinse, which will also help reduce the degree of flatulence some people experience with this low-fat food.

The great variety of beans, including pinto, navy, red kidney, black and garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), make it easy to mix and match for an endless variety of salads. And the fact that many types of beans are canned makes this type of salad especially easy. You can use precooked beans in most recipes that call for dried beans and vice versa. One and one-fourth cups of dried beans equals 3 cups of cooked beans. The average-sized can of beans contains about one and two-thirds of a cup of beans.

Make a quick salad by combining a can each of green beans, red beans and garbanzo beans. Mix in a small amount of chopped onion and one-half teaspoon each of crushed dried basil, oregano and thyme. Dress with oil and vinegar or a reduced-fat dressing and chill for two hours before serving. Enhance green salads with garbanzo beans for extra protein, or purée the beans for a healthful dip to serve with raw vegetables as an appetizer or snack.

Canned or frozen vegetables make excellent additions to a bean salad. Combine chickpeas with canned hearts of palm or artichoke hearts and canned or frozen corn kernels. Toss in finely chopped bell pepper, garlic and minced fresh cilantro or basil leaves. Season with olive oil and red or balsamic vinegar, and add salt and pepper to taste.

The following bean salad makes a perfect picnic or patio entrée. Corn may be substituted for one of the bean varieties, if desired. Serve it with whole-grain bread and fruit for dessert.

Three-Bean Salad with Tangy Coriander-Chili Dressing

1 can (about 15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (about 15 oz.) garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed and drained
1 can (about 15 oz.) black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (about 15 oz.) corn, rinsed and drained (optional, in place of 1 can beans)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 Tbsp. chili pepper flakes, or to taste
3 Tbsp. crushed dried cilantro (coriander leaves)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Mix beans and corn in large bowl and set aside.

In blender, place juice, oil, garlic, chili flakes and cilantro (coriander). Purée until smooth and well blended. Adjust seasonings if needed, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Toss beans with dressing.

Cover and chill, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

Makes 4 1-cup servings.

Per serving: 344 calories, 9 g. fat (1 g. saturated fat), 49 g. carbohydrate, 17 g. protein, 17 g. dietary fiber, about 600 mg. sodium.