Edamame and Black Bean BBQ Salad

Summer is finally here!

Well, officially summer arrives in a few weeks but with the recent heat wave I have sunshine, sandy beaches and BBQs on my mind. Despite how fun it is to get together with friends and family to enjoy the outdoors, it does present a question. What can a vegan/vegetarian/gluten free/dairy free/etc. person eat at these events?

When I go to BBQs I usually bring some version of this salad (see Salad Options below). The combination of edamame, black beans and vegetables is a complete meal in itself (in case there's nothing else I can eat at the party that fits into my vegan lifestyle) but the salad also works well as a side dish. Most of the ingredients are familiar enough and the bright colors enticing enough that most meat eaters will try it too!

Edamame and Bean BBQ Salad

One 12 oz. bag frozen shelled edamame, thawed

Half of a 16 oz. bag frozen corn, thawed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced

4 green onions, diced

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Mix edamame, corn, beans, bell pepper and onion in a large bowl and toss with Cumin and Lime Dressing.

Cumin & Lime Dressing

¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground (or 1 tsp ground cumin)

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup oil (I use a blend of flax oil with olive oil, sunflower oil, and/or safflower oil)

Wisk all dressing ingredients in a bowl or shake in a jar before adding to salad.

Salad options:

To make this salad soy-free omit the edamame and double the black beans.

To make the salad corn-free omit the corn and use two bell peppers.

If you don’t like cilantro, use Italian parsley instead.

To increase the protein content of the salad, omit the corn and add 1 can of pinto or kidney beans.

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