I'm making a fresh corn and black bean salad tonight to pair with grilled steaks.
I have avocado, cucumber, and lots of fresh basil...just a few garden beans and peas so i'm going to add some shelled edamame i have in the freezer.
This is the basic recipe...
(Still will be good as leftovers in a chicken salad or taco, quesadilla, warm flour tortilla wrap..)
I always make too much. Adding a splash of fruity vinegar the next day adds a extra zing...

Here is a link that might be useful: southwestern bean salad.

I found this fresh green bean salad on AllRecipes last summer. There are quite a few good remarks and suggestions on alterations. I've made it as is. I've also topped it with pancetta, bacon or diced ham for a complete light meal.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fresh green bean & bleu cheese salad

AVOCADO BEAN SALAD
1 med. avocado, peeled, diced
1 c. cooked (or canned) garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed if using canned)
1 c. halved cherry tomatoes (or quartered and seeded small tomatoes)
1/2 c. thinly sliced onion rings (chopped green onions will also work, or 1/4 c. chopped fresh chives)
2 c. lettuce (this looks nice if you have red leaf lettuce, but any kind of lettuce or lettuce mix will work)
Your favorite homemade or commercial dressing.

Combine all ingredients except the lettuce and dressing. Place 1/2 c. lettuce on each of 4 serving plates; top with 1/4 avocado mixture. Serve with your favorite dressing.
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SPICY BEAN SALAD

1/2 pound fresh green beans (cut in half)
16-oz. can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
16-oz. can butter beans, drained, rinsed
1/2 c. red onion rings (thinly sliced)

Dressing:
1/2 c. white vinegar
1/3 c. oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 to 3 t. sugar
1/8 to 1/4 t. red chili pepper flakes (to taste)

Leaf lettuce

Cook fresh green beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from boiling water and plunge into ice water until cold. Drain. In large bowl, combine all salad ingredients, except leaf lettuce. In jar with tight-fitting lid, combine all dressing ingredients; shake well. Pour dressing over salad; stir. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour or until chilled. serve on lettuce-lined plates. Makes 8 (1/2-cup) servings. (Grainlady note: I use about 1/4 to 1/2 the dressing recipe because I like salads lightly dressed.)

-Grainlady

I make this three bean salad often in the summer, using whatever beans are fresh in the garden and whatever I have on hand. The kidney beans have been garbanzos, black beans, cannellini. The fresh beans have been green, purple, yellow or a mixture of all of those and I've made it with canned beans in the winter. I dice the onions.

Three Bean Salad

1 pound green beans
1 pound wax beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, sliced into thin rings or diced
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1. Cook fresh beans if using and mix with canned beans. Mix all remaining ingredients, pour over beans. Let set in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Annie

Hey, Annie! Thanks for posting that 3-bean salad. I was googling for just that yesterday because the beans we get are so good! No wax beans in this market, but lovely green ones. I expect I could use frozen wax beans in place of fresh.

This chick pea salad is really good and a little different.

Chick Pea Salad:

2 16 oz. cans Chick Peas, rinsed and drained 2 C. chopped Romaine Lettuce (use scissors) 1 1/3 C. Seedless Red Grapes, halved 1 C. Sweet Red Pepper, chopped 2/3 C.thinly sliced Celery 1/2 C finely chopped Onion 1 1/2 to 2 C. Poppy Seed Dressing

Poppy Seed Dressing:

3/4 C. sugar 1/3 C. cider vinegar (heat to boil and pour over sugar) 1 teas.salt 1 teas. dry mustard 1 teas. finely chopped green onion 1 C. vegetable oil 1 T. (+) poppy seeds

Combine first 5 ingredients in blender til smooth. Turn blender on high and gradually pour in oil in slow steady stream. Stir in poppy seeds - cover and chill.

Enjoy.

jude

Note: In a hurry, I have used purchased Poppyseed dressing and it is still good.

Thanks for the ideas......some great sounding recipes.

I'm leaning towards judes recipe.... not what I had in mind but it rings a bell !!!

This post was edited by chase on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 22:22

Here is one we love.

Excellent Three Bean and More Salad

I have made this salad since early in my marriage (I was married in 1960). For the beans, you can use whatever types appeal to you. I use only green beans, because I do not like wax beans and, even though I do like lima beans, I do not like them in this salad (and none of my family likes lima beans).

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 small onion -- chopped medium fine
1 11 oz-can Mandarin oranges -- drained
1 small green pepper -- chopped medium fine
1 15.5 oz-can cut wax beans -- drained
1 15.5 oz-can cut green beans -- drained
1 16 oz-can green lima beans -- drained
Beat together sugar, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper; add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Chill for 8-12 hours, stirring several times to allow flavors to blend.
Keeps well stored in refrigerator.

I've made this for years, with variations

Marinated Vegetable Salad
3 - 4 c steamed green beans, tender but still crisp
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained, or dried beans, cooked.
1 c cherry tomatoes halved (or more, I like to use a couple of colors, so usually double this)
1 can whole pitted olives (black or Kalamata) drained
1 c artichoke hearts (can use plain canned, frozen thawed, or marinated) cut into reasonably sized wedges, quarters, eighths, etc.
1 c thinly sliced red onion or sweet white onion
1-2 c small button mushrooms, or sliced larger ones, (optional) or cooked, raw or canned, if you prefer
Sometimes, but not always, I'll add some cubed cuke and/or red pepper, cubed.
Juice of one lemon and some lemon zest to taste
Fresh basil or oregano or combo, chiffonade or chopped 2 tbls or to taste.
Favorite Italian vinaigrette, I use a lemon recipe.

Marinate everything but the tomatoes and herbs for several hours in the dressing, maybe 1/2 cup of it...in a pinch I use Newmans, but like to make my own. I use a covered tupperware bowl so I can gently rotate the salad several times to distribute the dressing.

Before serving, add the cherry tomatoes and herbs, stirring gently. Sometimes I garnish the top with a great feta. I prefer it not stirred in as it kind of muddies the colors of the bright veggies - I always serve in a glass bowl It's a hit at bbq's and potlucks.

Ended up making olychick's bean salad and it was a huge hit. I used black beans instead of olives and added feta just before serving.

Thanks Oly.......great recipe

This afternoon I made Annie's 3-bean salad. Cut back on sugar and slightly on the vinegar, and added a bit of green pepper and diced cherry tomatoes that had to be used. The green beans were fresh and used canned garbanzos. Hubs said the salad was delicious and much better than he expected. I really liked it too! It goes in the tried and true recipe binder. Thanks Annie!

This post was edited by beachlily on Sun, Aug 11, 13 at 20:17

Oh, glad to hear, Chase, thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it. Black beans are a great idea!