Contemporary Three-Bean Salad

Classic three-bean salad gets a contemporary twist with balsamic vinegar, cilantro, and sunflower seeds. It’s an easy salad you can enjoy year round, but is a special favorite to serve with summer outdoor meals and your plant-based barbecued proteins. Photos by Lori Maffei.

Serves: 8 or more

8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
(use organic frozen green beans when fresh are unavailable)
15- to 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
15- to 16-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or substitute parsley), or more, to taste
10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Dressing:

Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
3 tablespoons white or dark balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish:

2 to 3 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds

Steam the green beans until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse them until cool. Combine them with the next 5 ingredients in a serving bowl and stir together.

Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and mix together until well blended. Pour over the bean mixture and toss well. Cover and allow to marinate, refrigerated, for an hour or up to several hours before serving, stirring occasionally.

Just before serving, sprinkle the sunflower seeds over the top.