Summer Vegan Cranberry Bean Salad!

I saw these gorgeous red, marbled beans across the produce section of our new local produce store, and was immediately drawn to them.  I have never seen these beans before and new I had to buy them.  I actually had no idea what I was going to do with them, but that should never stop someone from being curious and creative.

As pretty as the shells look, you do not eat them.  So, you do have to do some shelling here.  The beans themselves are quite unique as well.  Speckled almost that of a quail egg, where some are white with red speckles and others vice-versa.

Cranberry beans are no joke either!  One cup of these are less than 250 calories, almost 18 g of fiber and almost 17 g of protein.

I am sure a hearty soup would be great using the beans.  To me, they are similar to northern beans or kidney beans.  But, since it is summer, I wanted to go with a bright, tasty bean salad.  Great for picnics and parties!

Summer Vegan Cranberry Bean Salad

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

1 c dry cranberry beans

3 c vegetable broth or water

1/2 c  green beans

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp evoo

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 lemon juiced

Directions:

Add your vegetable broth or water and shelled cranberry beans to a boil.  Cover and simmer for roughly 35-45 minutes or until soft. 
In the meantime, another boil another pot of water and steam your green beans.  I like my green beans slightly crunchy and a vibrant green color, so I usually steam them for just a few minutes.
Once your cranberry beans are done, toss all your vegetables in a bowl.  Whisk together your dressing ingredients and add to the bowl.  Viola!  A new fun and easy bean salad!