Our Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box arrived on Monday, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to incorporate a bunch of the veggies into a dense bean salad.

Last night I was struck by inspiration, and I got to chopping.

This salad came together in less than 15 minutes, and it’s so good. I’ll be having it for lunch for the next few days.

Chipotle Dense Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 purple onion, diced and soaked in ice water
• 2 small cucumbers, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large tomato, chopped into bite-sized pieces and deseeded
• 1 bell pepper (I used green, use whatever you’ve got), diced
• The corn from 1 ear of corn
• 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup cubed cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Chop the veggie ingredients and combine in a mixing bowl.
2. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of dressing (recipe below), toss salad, and add in cheese cubes.
3. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Chipotle Dressing:

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3 T. Honey or agave syrup
• 1/2 cup olive oil (or your favorite neutral oil)
• 2 chipotle peppers (from a can in adobo sauce)
• 3 T. adobo sauce
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (or the equivalent in jarlic)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor, add all of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
2. Store the unused portion in the fridge for up to a week.

The nice part about this salad is that it easily made vegan by swapping honey for agave syrup, and omitting the cheese or swapping in a vegan cheese substitute.

The salad is naturally Gluten Free and vegetarian.