Citrusy Bean Salad

         A few weeks ago, my mom's work had a potluck, so we decided that something light and healthy would be good to bring in because many potlucks are centered around heavy, carb loaded dishes.  She mentioned her bean salad, so I decided to elevate it with a citrus dressing and lots of veggies.  Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and did not take pictures along the way, and then had a phone problem which resulted in my few pictures being deleted, so this is a recipe with no picture tutorials, sorry for the inconvenience.

Citrusy Bean Salad:

  Ingredients:

• 2 cans black beans
• 1 can chick peas
• 1 can red beans
• 2 bell pepper (I used 1 red and 1 orange for color)
• 2 carrots 
• 3 stalks of celery
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon habanero olive oil (could substitute with 1 teaspoon chili powder)
• 2 teaspoons paprika 
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon ginger extract
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups sun dried tomatoes

  Instructions:

1. Strain and rinse all of the beans and place in a large bowl.
2. Chop celery, peppers, and carrots into small pieces (about the size of the beans) and add to the bowl. Roughly chop the cilantro and add it to bowl as well, saving some for garnishing. 
3. In a small measuring cup or bowl, stir both olive oils, lemon juice, and paprika together with a fork.  Add mustard to act as an emulsifier (something to combine the oil and lemon juice and prevent separation) and combine with a fork. 
4. Add ginger, balsamic, salt, and pepper to the dressing and pour it over the beans and veggies.
5. Toss to combine, add the dried tomatoes, and garnish with saved cilantro, enjoy!