November 21

In the past, I would have hesitated before posting this recipe. It would have seemed too commonplace and simple. Instead, I loved how this site was a place where I could push myself to make more complicated recipes and experiment with different flavours. However, this is the kind of recipe that I am desperate for lately and I am so glad to have a place to keep it. How could I have ever thought twice about posting a recipe that gets better as it sits, is fast, cheap and easy to make, and is healthy and filling at the same time? Right now, this is exactly the type of recipe that I want to have at the ready, that I can draw on when my mind is totally blank about what to keep in the fridge for lunch. Even more importantly for me, I love that this bean salad takes up a small amount of prep space and creates minimal mess. Now that I’m working in such a small kitchen, this has become a priority for me and I am making more and more recipes that don’t result in kitchen chaos (which happens very quickly and easily these days).

I have never found bean salad particularly appealing. The ones that I found in my fridge growing up were oddly sweet and had weird, soft, canned green beans in the mix. Instead, this bean salad is fresh, zingy, and so much more than each of its component parts. I am always awed by how good lemon juice and good quality olive oil can taste together, and with some extra spices and herbs, this salad has a depth of flavour that I would never expect from something so simple. Served with some toasted pita chips, it is the perfect lunch or mid-afternoon slump snack.