RECIPE: bean, potato, and veg salad with walnuts and honey balsamic dressing

Unconvinced from my last post that meals can be Crunchy and Delicious, Colourful and Nutritious (CDCN) all at the same time? Try this recipe out and prepare to be converted to the greatness of CDCN cooking. Worry not, it may sound posh, but it's very friendly and down to earth. 

Jenna and Meghan's bean, potato, and veg salad with walnuts and honey balsamic dressing 

Ingredients

·       5 New or Charlotte potatoes

·       a tin of butter beans, chickpeas, or kidney beans (or all!)

·       1 red/orange/yellow pepper

·       ½ a red onion

·       a stalk of celery

·       a handful of cherry tomatoes

·       a couple of handfuls of green leaves

·       a handful of wanuts

·       2 tablespoons oil olive

·       1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

·       1 big squeeze of honey (about 1 tablespoon, or to taste)

·       the juice of a lemon or a lime

Step 1: Boil (lightly!) salted water in a pan. Add the potatoes. Boil until a fork inserts smoothly. Drain and pat dry. Cut into bite-size pieces. Keep the skins on! This is where all the goodness lives!

Step 2: (Do this simultaneously as you boil the potatoes) Lightly toast some walnuts. Spread them out on a baking sheet and stick in the oven for 8ish minutes at 200 degrees. You want them toasted but not burnt, so keep your eye on them.

Step 3: Drain and rinse some beans, whatever you happen to have. I often use butter beans, kidney beans and chickpeas, or a mixture preferably. Set aside.

Step 4: Chop up whatever veg you have. Celery, red, orange or yellow pepper, red onion or tomatoes work well.

Step 5: Make the dressing: mix the oil olive, balsamic vinegar, honey, and lemon or lime juice all together. If you have walnut oil put in a teaspoon of it as well.

Step 6: Stick it all together. Pile in the potatoes, beans, and veg, throw in some salad leaves, and drizzle the dressing on top. Mix well and serve. Voila. A hearty salad that is good for dinner or your lunchbox.