Canned beans are fantastic convenience food. For a little over a buck, you can stock your pantry with a shelf-stable protein source that works in main dishes or in side dishes.
You can even use cooked canned beans as an inexpensive way to stretch pricier proteins: Serve seared salmon on a bed of sauteed creamy white beans, and you'll only need a few ounces of fish to make the meal feel hearty. Boost the filling factor in pasta dishes by adding a cup of rinsed canned beans to your family's recipes. Or, let beans turn a ho-hum salad into a filling comfort dish. In this week's recipe, I pair black beans with fresh mango and the result is spectacular, especially given how quickly this recipe comes together.
The hardest part about this salad is cutting the mango, navigating around its long, flat seed. You can easily buy mango already cut in the packaged produce section, but you can save several dollars for about 3 minutes of work if you are willing.
Mango is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, and it makes the salad feel bright and tropical. I add yellow bell pepper and corn (straight from the freezer; it thaws quickly) which make it pretty. Texture (and niacin!) comes from a light sprinkle of cashews and just a few smashed corn tortilla chips. The tasty dressing is a result of a simple weeknight dressing hack: I add fresh lime juice and a little olive oil to prepared salsa.
I use shredded kale for this salad, but use any hearty dark green -- you get more vitamins with the darker greens, and the bold flavors and textures on this salad need a green that can stand up to them.
Black Bean and Mango Salad
6 cups shredded kale, or other dark leafy greens (such as spinach or baby chard)
1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained if canned
1 1/2 cup cubed fresh mango, about 1 large mango
1 cup corn kernels (frozen is OK)
1 cup chopped tomato, about 2 roma tomatoes
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small or 1/2 large avocado, cubed
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
8 baked organic corn chips, lightly crushed
Chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish
For the dressing:
1/4 cup prepared salsa (red or green)
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pile the greens on a platter or individual plates. Place on top of the greens: beans, mango, corn, tomato, bell pepper, and avocado. Sprinkle on the green onions, cashews, crushed corn chips and cilantro.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour on the salad. Serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 300 calories, 9 g protein, 13 g fat, 42 g carbohydrate (13 g sugar), no cholesterol, 393 mg sodium and 11 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 3.
Food on 03/29/2017