Karl’s Three Bean Salad

I bought a Safeway ham the other day and I was thinking about a weekday dinner. I wanted something other than my usual sweet potatoes and steamed green beans to go with the ham. I decided what I needed was a dish that covered both my starch and vegetable. Three bean salad seemed the way to go.

I looked at a dozen recipes on the internet and I did not like any of them. The first ingredients are set by the name, but I did not like any of the dressings I saw. Off on my own again—a bit of this and a pinch of that, and of course some of my marmalade.

Note: I could have used canned green beans, but Jan has a bias against them, so I usually go with fresh.

After Dinner Note: Jan asked me to make this again.

Karl’s Three Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh green beans
1 can low sodium kidney beans (1 lb.)
1 can low sodium garbanzo beans (1 lb.)
2 stalks celery, coarsely diced

Dressing

3 Tbs. kidney bean can broth
3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs. Karl’s Lemon Marmalade
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
½ tsp. black pepper, cracked
½ clove of garlic, mashed
½ tsp. Mediterranean oregano
½ tsp. Kosher salt
½ tsp. thyme
⅛ tsp. celery seeds

Directions

1. Trim and cut the green beans into 1 inch pieces.

2. Steam the green beans for 4-5 minutes until just al dente.

Tip: Shock the green beans in ice water, so that they do not overcook.

3. Drain the kidney beans into a small bowl.

Tip: Reserve some of the can liquor for the dressing.

4. Rinse the kidney beans well and put them in a large bowl.

5. Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans.

6. Put the garbanzos and celery into the bowl.

7. Put 3 tablespoons of the kidney bean liquid into a small pot.

8. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients to the pot.

9. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the dressing thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.

Tip: The bean starch in the can liquid acts as a thickener.

10. Briefly let the dressing cool and then pour it over the salad.

11. Toss to coat and let the salad meld for at least one hour.

Tip: Toss occasionally to redistribute the dressing.

12. Serve chilled.