Lebanese Lemon Parsley Bean Salad

Ingredients:

2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked kidney beans

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1½ cups cooked chickpeas

1 can black beans

1 small red onion, diced

2 stalks celery, sliced in half or thirds lengthwise and chopped

1 ripe red tomato, chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 teaspoon salt

Zesty Italian Dressing

Instructions:

1. In a serving bowl, combine the prepared kidney beans, chickpeas, onion, celery, tomato, cucumber, parsley and dill (or mint).
2. Make the lemon dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper flakes until emulsified. Pour dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture and toss thoroughly. At this point I wanted a bit more flavor so I added a few generous squirts of Zesty Italian Dressing. Serve immediately for the most flavor, or let it marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for a couple of hours or longer. 

This is a great salad to take to a potluck or picnic because there's no mayo or cool whip to have sitting out on the table or in the sun.  And it tastes really good, nothing like the waxy bean salads you can buy in the store!