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Fresca Bean Salad
Fresca Bean Salad

This bean salad is as fresh and whole as Mexican food can be. Plus, it couldn’t be any easier to make. Big batches are a great idea because it just gets tastier and tastier as the flavors sit and mingle together.

1½ cups (15 ounces) black beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)

1 medium carrot, shredded

½ red onion, diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

½ lime, juiced

½ tablespoon garlic granules

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 avocado, diced

1. In a large bowl, combine the beans, carrot, onion, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, and spices (garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper). Mix well.

2. Stir in the avocado just before serving. If making enough for leftovers, add avocado only to the portion that will be enjoyed in the moment.

Notes: To make this a heartier dish, add 1½ cups cooked quinoa. Warm quinoa gives the dish a delightful hot-cold contrast. Conversely, the dish can be made lighter by adding 2 cups of fresh greens, like spinach or romaine.

Serves: 2 (2-cup servings)

Katie-Mae
Chef
Katie-Mae

Katie Mae is a plant-based nutritionist and culinary instructor at PlantBasedKatie.com, supporting people in living brighter, fuller lives through whole plant foods. Katie Mae holds a Masters of Science in nutrition from Bastyr University and a Bachelor’s in human biology from Michigan State University. Since 2010 Katie Mae has been teaching weekly cooking classes at TrueNorth Health Center and working for Dr. McDougall’s Health and Medical Center. From 2010 to 2014, she was also the Nutrition Educator at Sonoma State University, and in 2012 she was trained as a post-partum doula. She says, “Let’s eat like our future matters. A plant-based diet is the single best thing we can do for ourselves, our children and the planet.” Through her online cooking trainings, live workshops, and e-cookbooks, Katie Mae teaches how to simply prepare plant-based meals that are bursting with flavor. She’s emphasizes herbs, spices, and other flavors from around the world to excite the taste buds rather than refined sugar, oil, salt, and processed foods. You can find out more about Katie Mae, her cooking courses, and her recipes at PlantBasedKatie.com and PlantzBootCamp.com.

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