Bean Salad with Scallion Date Vinaigrette

There are too many ingredients in this salad for me to name them all in the title, so “bean salad” it is! This is honestly the best salad I’ve ever made, and many of you were excited about the recipe, too. Well, here it is. This keeps well in the fridge for a few days—but it won’t last that long. Serve it up with tortilla chips or some fresh bread to sop up that delicious scallion date vinaigrette. This works well as a side dish or as a veggie main.

I will give a warning—this salad has a lot of different components. But trust me—it’s worth it. Let me know if you try this one out!

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

For the quick-pickled shallots and jalapeños:

• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced

• 1 small jalapeño, finely diced (seeds removed)

• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

• dash of maple syrup

• large pinch of kosher salt

For the bean salad:

• 1-15 oz can of white beans, drained and rinsed

• 1-15 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

• 3/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers from a jar, drained (roughly two peppers)

• 1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes in oil, drained (roughly six tomatoes)

• 4 medjool dates, pitted and diced

• 1 cup fire-roasted corn (frozen, canned, or made fresh)

• 1/2 cup mix of finely chopped herbs like parsley, cilantro, and mint (I use all 3)

For the scallion date vinaigrette:

• 2 scallions, diced

• 4 medjool dates, pitted

• 1 heaping tsp of Dijon mustard

• 1 large clove of garlic

• 1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

• juice and zest of 1 lemon

• 2 ice cubes

• 1/2 cup mixed herbs like cilantro and parsley

• 1 tsp kosher salt

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the quick-pickled shallots and jalapeños. Let this sit to the side and “quick pickle” while you work on the rest of the salad.

2. Toss all of the bean salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

3. Using a food processor or an immersion blender, blend the diced scallions, dates, mustard, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and zest, along with the ice cubes, until the mixture is smooth. If you are using an immersion blender, be very gentle when blending; otherwise, the ice cubes will spray vinaigrette everywhere (let’s just say I learned from experience…). After that is all smooth, add the herbs and salt, and blend once more until everything is well blended and smooth.

4. Drain the liquid from the quick pickles and then add them to the bean salad. Add the vinaigrette and then toss everything together until the salad is well combined. Let the mixture refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to come together. Serve and enjoy!