I may have no fancy for leafy green salads at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I’m not getting those veggies in! I came up with this salad rather randomly when I needed an easy packed lunch to take to an event. I know that we might not yet be in proper salad weather yet, however this salad is much heartier than your usual leafy green version and because of that, feels substantial enough to give you some comfort on an early spring day.
This salad makes great use of one of my favourite foods, tahini. I’m a little bit obsessed with it to be honest, I go through jars of the stuff! My favourite brand by far is Cypressa, available in Waitrose, as I love the drippy oily texture. Here I combine it with lemon juice to make a refreshing dressing. The sesame seeds used to make tahini are fabulously healthy foods with decent amounts of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron. The red kidney beans are high in folate as well as iron, so when all these ingredients are combined together with the lemon juice and peppers, there’s an added hit of vitamin C to support absorption of the minerals. Tahini is also a source of healthy fat, further supporting the absorption of fat soluble vitamins.
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This keeps really well in the fridge for a couple of days so is useful for making up on a Sunday ready for lunches during the week.
I really like this salad with red kidney beans but any bean would work equally as well, I can imagine a version with chickpeas and a little harissa paste mixed with the tahini would be amazing – note to self to try that soon!
I also love the colour of this salad. It tastes fresh and looks fresh!
Are you a fan of beans? I think that they have come in for a bit of criticism, maybe due to the Paleo foods moment that avoids them, however as long as they don’t cause you any digestive distress and are prepared properly I think they are great. What’s your favourite bean?
Yum! That’s a lovely looking salad. I love using different beans and lentils in salad. My favourite is probably black beans, I think they pair nicely with sweet potatoes for a heartier salad, or peppers in the summer!
Thanks Laura! Black beans are so good in the summer :-)
Aduki beans are my favourite and my IBS seems to be ok with them. I hate tahini. I don’t why because i like sesame seeds and hummous even though i have to avoid it now because chickpeas don’t like me anymore! There’s something about the taste of tahini that i just don’t like.
I can see why tahini could be a funny one as it is quite bitter, but I think that’s why I like it!
I’m a 100% committed carnivore and I think this looks lovely! I’ve never had tahini but I’m near a Waitrose this afternoon and may well try it!
Haha, my work here is done ;-) Let me know if you do try it!
Apart from putting beans into a chilli con carne, i don’t really do anything else with them. I think i should start adding them to salads to bulk them out as sometimes i find salads dont fill me up. Nice recipe Laura! :)
You should experiment with them Zoe, they are really versatile :-)
Looks like a lovely salad – I’ve always been a fan of the bean/tahini combination. I’m obviously not a Paleo fan at all…I can just about see where they’re coming from on the no grains idea, but legumes? No. Just no…there’s just nothing wrong with them at all. I do have to be careful not to have too many of them, or eat them on consecutive days, but that’s because I have huge problems with processing fibre, and not because beans are inherently ‘bad.’ I love them and wish I could eat more of them! I do worry I give the impression that you have to live on protein powder if you want to be an active vegan, but for 99% of people that’s not the case. I just wish I had a normal digestive system!
Can I count chickpeas as a bean? If so, they are definitely my favourite!
xxx
I think it was Chris Kresser that came out and said the thing against legumes was paleo over kill, the logic of it just doesn’t make sense and I think as long as they are prepared right and you digest them ok they are awesome. I think chickpeas definitely count! I have to say I’ve been really into my lentils recently as well :-)
I’m not a huge fan of beans if I’m honest. I much prefer just having meat. But I think that’s more to do with what I’m used to, and what my husband likes! He always turns his nose up whenever I add any beans to anything. *sighs* Men!
This looks fabulous though – I need to use tahini more I think.
Yeah James is like that with beans as well, I guess part of it is cause apart from baked beans they aren’t really eaten by a lot of British families maybe?
Yum! Looks delicious! I have been eating salads all through the winter and not even freezing temperatures could keep me away form them. This one looks really good. I have been making an effort to eat more vegan meals recently.
I was the same before I was pregnant, salads all the time, you can’t beat them!
I am obsessed with dark tahini. I also love beans/legumes, chickpeas are my favourite. I usually have some sort in my lunch and dinner.
I couldn’t get away with the dark stuff, maybe I need to give it another try?
This looks so good! I have salads for lunch everyday but its nice to mix it up a bit and not always have leaf-based ones. I love black beans in Mexican-inspired meals – so good! x
I love Mexican inspired meals full stop, haha! ;-)
Sounds delicious I also LOVE tahini it’s so versatile! I have to say I am a fan of beans but they are not a fan of me i can’t eat beans without getting a really bad tummy unfortunately.
Ah that’s a shame about the beans. Tahini is just one of the best ingredients isn’t it :-)
I love beans- when I was younger I only liked baked beans though! I think my favourite would be the little black beans as they go so well in chilli or with sweet potatoes or with avocado. I do find that I feel very full after eating them, so don’t often have them for lunch. I tried that brand of tahini (well the only tahini I have tried) but I found it really bitter so have not tried any again.