This wonderful White Bean Veggie Salad is a super flavorful summer salad made with white beans, red cabbage, radishes, basil, orange and yellow bell peppers. Then it is topped with Asiago cheese and a tangerine Champagne vinaigrette.
Serve this salad cold, room temperature, or warm. It’s a great meal all on its own, served as a side or topped with some mixed greens or kale.
Can you believe it is going to be July tomorrow? Time seems to be flying by faster and faster as the years go by. It’s been a great summer so far. We have had so many visitors staying with us and it’s been incredibly fun! The best part is that I had the pleasure of cooking for everyone and I just love doing that!
So far, my nephew, Jason was here for a few days, which is always a treat. We took him to our favorite Greek restaurant a while back and now it’s where he always wants to go to when he is here for a visit. (He is actually one of my best friends son, not my sibling since I have none). Our friend George stayed with us two times already and that’s all I have to say about that, lol.
Our friends Beto, Jill and Paloma stayed a couple of nights, which is always so much fun. Beto and Jill brought tons of food for our usual beach picnic as they always do. And of course, I made this huge salad, my roasted poblano cilantro pesto Palmoa who is 3 1/2 and the cutest thing ever, always has so much fun at the beach! She is always asking to come to the beach, it’s her happy place! This is just the start of our visitors and I am looking forward to more!
I love this salad with a Prosecco, Txakoli, Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir or even Merlot.
White Bean Veggie Salad with Tangerine Champagne Vinaigrette - CaliZona
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Dried White Beans
- 6 Cups Filtered Water
- 1 Recipe Tangerine Champagne Vinaigrette - recipe below
- 1 Cup Radishes about 11 - cut into matchsticks
- 3/4 Cup Red Cabbage – minced
- 1 Small Yellow Bell Pepper – diced
- 1 Small Orange Bell Pepper – diced
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Basil – chiffonade
- 1/4 Red Onion - diced
- 1 Cup Asiago Cheese or to taste – finely shredded
- 1 Clove Garlic – minced
- 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste
Vinaigrette
- 2/3 Cup Fresh Squeezed Tangerine Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Tangerine Zest optional
- 1/4 Cup Champagne Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Shallots or 1/4 Cup
- 2 Small Cloves Garlic or 2 Teaspoons
- 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste
- Dash Black Pepper
Instructions
Beans
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Sort the beans to make sure there are no rocks then rinse and drain.
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Soak the beans overnight in filtered water with about 3 inches covering the beans- optional
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Add the beans and the 6 cups of filtered water to a large pot and bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours, they can take longer depending on how old the beans are.
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*You want to cook them slow and at a lower temperature than for a soup so the beans won’t crack as much.
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While the beans are cooking, make the vinaigrette (you can do this the day before if you want) then add to a large bowl.
Vinaigrette
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Add mustard, tangerine juice, zest, salt and pepper to a medium bowl and whisk together.
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Next whisk in the champagne vinegar, then slowly whisk in the olive oil.
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Stir in the garlic and shallots.
Veggies
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Slice the radishes fairly thin and then stack them on each other and cut them into thin matchsticks.
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Add the red cabbage, bell peppers, basil, cheese, garlic salt and pepper.
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Stir in the vinaigrette.
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When the beans are finished cooking, drain, rinse and let them cool completely then into the veggies.
Health Benefits:
White Beans are a super source of dietary fiber, which is good for the prevention of constipation, also helps digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis. They are great for heart health because of their significant amounts of folate (support of red blood cell formation, one cup of the cooked beans provides 63.7% of the recommended daily intake for folate) and magnesium (lowers blood pressure). They are good for helping insulin resistance, hypoglycemia or diabetes, and help you balance blood sugar levels while providing steady energy.
Tangerines are a type of mandarin orange. They are a valuable source of flavonoid anti-oxidants that are several times higher than oranges but have even more vitamin A and iron. The vitamin A in them helps with immune function, vision and reproductive health. As with all citrus, they are still very rich in vitamin C that stimulates the production of collagen and helps keeps your skin supple as well as stimulating cell generation in the body. Antioxidants are found in high concentrations in the rind of tangerines, which fight off free radicals keeping the body’s cells healthy while purifying the blood and remove toxins. They contain natural soluble and insoluble fiber that improves digestion and restrict the absorption of cholesterol in the gut, which helps cut the risk of obesity and reduce inflammation. The tangerine fruit has been used effectively against skin diseases and arthritis. They also help to absorb iron from food into the body and contain a good amount of Folate and Potassium.
