BB Salad 

This is a quick ‘n easy Bean and Broccoli salad to toss together for a nutritious lunch or side dish.

• 1 medium size broccoli crown diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium size yellow pepper – diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 x 14oz can mixed beans, drained
• Several thinly sliced sundried tomatoes. (Dry packed rather than canned in oil.  I cut them into thin strips with kitchen scissors.  Way easier than trying to chop up with a knife!)
• About 1/8 cup avocado oil (Avocado oil gives this salad a lovely, light flavor – plus it lifts the flavours of the other ingredients, especially the broccoli and sundried tomatoes – while olive oil, which is a bit heavier,  can sometimes overwhelm.  Try it. Yes the avocado oil is pricier than extra virgin olive oil, but you don’t need to use it everyday. )
• About a tablespoon sushi seasoning (This is a sweet vinegar. I buy it in Asian markets.)
• A generous pinch dried red pepper flakes (about 1 1/2 T)
• 1/2 T paprika
• 2 T sesame seeds

You might want to add a little salt, unless of course the beans and/or sundried tomatoes are salted, in which case you probably don’t need it.

You can make this a Triple B salad, and boost the nutritional values, by adding about a cup of cooked Barley.

Depending on your digestive system and your personal preferences you may want to Blanche the broccoli. And I don’t mean feed it to your friend Blanche – rather I mean partially cook it using my quick ‘n easy Blanche method: steam it for about a minute then pull the steamer filled with broccoli out of the pot, fill the pot with cold water, then put the steamer and broccoli back in the pot and let the cold water run over it for a bit. Careful you don’t end up with floating broccoli overflowing into your sink! (Make sure your sink is clean when you start this process just in case.)  This way the steamer also acts as collander so you keep the dirty dishes to a minimum.