- dinner | gluten-free | Meatless Monday | Salad | vegetarian
Greek Salad With Butter Beans
I just got back from the farmers market and there are still tons of cherry and heirloom tomatoes available, so this is the perfect salad to make if you’re looking for something different to pair them with.
This Greek salad with butter beans has the usual components in it, but the butter beans give this salad some added protein and a bit more substance. You can eat this as a simple side salad, or turn it into a great Meatless Monday main salad if you pair it with some crusty bread, popovers, or some DF and GF pop-unders, or even better, add a bowl of heirloom tomato soup, or butternut squash soup.
Butter beans are high in protein (6 grams per 1/2 cup) and fiber, and are high in folate and iron.
Steve and Mattie love this salad, so it’s teen and hubby approved! Below is a photo of the salad when everything is tossed and melded together. It’s a colorful and beautiful medley.
Greek Salad With Butter Beans
4
servingsRecipe adapted from Wholesome Kitchen.
Ingredients
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved - you can also use 2-3 heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
Leaves from a small bunch of fresh mint, roughly chopped - if you're not a fan of mint, you can use flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Two 14-ounce cans butter beans, drained and well rinsed
1/2 to 3/4 English cucumber, medium diced - cut cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut those halves lengthwise again, (making 4 spears) then slice 1/2 inch dices out of each spear.
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 oz feta cheese, cut into cubes, this is also to taste, use a much or as little as you like
1 teaspoon fine Celtic Sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
In a large salad bowl, add the cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, mint, English cucumber, and butter beans, gently toss to combine.
Note: If you’re prepping this ahead, keep the sliced cherry tomatoes in a strainer, so the extra juice can drain out and the bottom of the salad won’t be mushy.
In a large skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil, sliced onion and chopped garlic. Stir frequently until the garlic and onion start to sizzle and become fragrant, roughly 1-2 minutes. This helps infuse the flavors of the onion and garlic into the oil. It also helps to take the bite out of the red onion.
Remove from heat and pour over the tomato and bean mixture. Add the lemon juice, teaspoon Celtic Sea salt and feta cubes. Season to taste with pepper, and gently toss well to combine.
Let salad rest for roughly 10-15 minutes, so all the flavors meld together. See above photo in post for how the salad looks after it's been tossed.
You can eat this as a simple side salad, or turn it into a great Meatless Monday main salad if you pair it with some crusty bread, popovers, or some DF and GF pop-unders, or even better, add a bowl of heirloom tomato soup, or butternut squash soup.
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Dairy free green goddess dressing. This is my dairy free, vegan take on a green goddess dressing. I wanted to create a tasty dairy free version, while focusing on keeping the ingredients ultra clean, so I used a coconut based yogurt @cocojune_organic that doesn’t contain gums, or other ingredients you can’t pronounce.
Comment “green” and I’ll DM you the recipe link.
The result, we love this dressing and have been making it on repeat. I love how creamy and vibrant this dressing is and how it coats each piece of lettuce. I also love how interchangeable the herbs are. You can truly use what you have on hand.
This dressing isn’t just for salads, you can use as a dip for veggies, sweet potato fries, or drizzle over grilled or roasted chicken. The possibilities are endless. 💕
#greengoddessdressing #greengoddesssalad #greengoddess #healthyfood #saladdressing #dairyfreesalad #dairyfreerecipes #vegandressing #vegansalad #salad #healthysalad #healthysalads
I want to share with you guys a simple lesson about reading ingredients. Here’s my favorite brand of coconut milk, Native Forest. As you can see, they have 2 kinds of the full fat unsweetened coconut milk, one is called simple, and one is classic. The difference here is in the ingredients, one contains guar gum and one doesn’t.
You really want to look at the labels and the ingredients, and not just trust the brand is the same across all products.
I love this Native Forest, Simple, because again it clearly states no quars, and if you look in the ingredients, you’ll see organic coconut milk, organic coconut, filtered water. Simple whole food ingredients, no added fillers, gums, or flavors. You always want to look for a BPA free cans and the USDA organic stamp, which means its certified organic, so there’s no GMO’s, pesticides etc.
What is guar gum, and why is it bad?
Guar gum, which is derived from the guar bean is a thickening agent that can wreak havoc on your digestive system by causing bloating, gas, and discomfort. It can disrupt the delicate balance of your gut microbiome, leading to inflammation and impaired nutrient absorption. It’s also seen a lot in non-dairy creamers or milks.
Was this helpful? If so, let me know in the comments below, 👇 as well as what else you would like to see, or know more about?
#readlabels #readfoodlabels #guargum #guthealth #guthealing #inflammationrelief #antiimflammatory
Easy buckwheat porridge. If you’re looking to switch up your morning bowl of oats, then give buckwheat a try. It has a chewy texture and mild flavor, that pairs with just about anything.
Comment ‘easy buckwheat’ and I’ll send you the recipe.
This buckwheat porridge is SO EASY to make, and is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan to boot, and the bonus is it takes under 15 minutes to whip up in the morning.
This breakfast is hubby approved. Steve tried this the other day and kept saying, “this is the best breakfast,” “man, this is SO good.” So if I can get my mountain biking, carb loving hubby to happily eat of bowl of this, then I think your family might love this too.
I love topping mine with blueberries, @socotahini and bee pollen!
#buckwheat #buckwheatporridge #buckwheatrecipes #porridgebowl #porridge #porridgelover #breakfastideas #breakfast #healthybreakfast #healthybreakfastclub #healthybreakfastideas
Rosemary & thyme turkey burgers. These are not your typical dry turkey burgers. The rosemary and thyme paired with the sautéed red onion give these burgers a pop of flavor, and the Dijon and avocado oil pump up the moisture. These burgers are also gluten-free and dairy-free.
Comment ‘turkey burger’ and I’ll DM you the recipe link.
I love topping these burgers on a big green salad and pairing them with my oven roasted sweet potato fries. Delish! #turkeyburger #turkeyburgers #burger #dairyfreeglutenfree #burgers #healthyfood
These vegan Mexican quinoa bowls have become a weekly staple in our house. They’re naturally vegan, but are full of flavor from the avocado tahini, and spicy chipotle tahini sauce.
Comment ‘vegan bowl’ and I’ll DM you the recipe.
These bowls are also great for those that are on the candida diet.
I ❤️ these bowls because they’re jam packed with plant protein, as quinoa is a complete protein, and beans when paired with the quinoa, make a complete protein too. This bowl is balanced and satisfying from the slow burning carbs, healthy fats, plant protein, and will honestly sustain you for hours.
These bowls are a great weeknight meatless dinner option, as I typically make the sauces ahead of time, (they literally take 5 minutes) so when it comes to dinner time, all I have to do is make the quinoa (takes under 20 minutes) and roast the sweet potatoes. I hope you give these a try, and that they become a go-to meatless dinner.
#candidadiet #candidacleanse #veganbowls #veganbowls #veganrecipes #veganrecipe #vegandinner #vegandinnerideas #healthyfood
Here’s the perfect snack for those of you trying to cut back on refined sugar. These healthy no bake cacao oat bars are super addicting, once you have a bite, you just can’t stop.
Comment ‘oat bars’ and I’ll DM you the recipe.
The great thing is you don’t have to feel guilty, as these are made with pretty healthy ingredients and are GF, DF and refined sugar free. I love having these on hand for that afternoon, or post lunch craving. They hit the spot perfectly. #healthy #healthysnacks #healthysnackideas #healthysnack #refinedsugarfree #norefinedsugar #healthydesserts #healthydessert #healthydessertrecipes #healthysnackrecipes
Love your Blog, I’ve been a long time follower! This salad sounds great 🙂 I was wondering if using either frozen Lima (butter) beans or even Edamame would work? Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes and anecdotes!
Hi Elizabeth! Awww.. so happy to hear that you’ve been a long time follower. Thanks so much for sticking around 🙂 Lima beans are the same thing as butter beans, so you can totally use some frozen ones, just let them thaw to room temp before using. I’m not sure about edamame? I’m sure they would taste fine, but of course they have a different texture and flavor than butter beans, but if that combo sounds good to you, then go for it! Let me know what you end up using and how it was. xoxo, Jackie
I had to look this up because about 60 years ago a mean babysitter made me eat lima beans and I’ve hated them ever since. But since moving to Australia 30 years ago, I’ve loved all the Italian dishes featuring butter beans. I wonder if I would taste any difference blindfolded?
The term “butter bean” is widely used in North and South Carolina for a large, flat and yellow/white variety of lima bean (P. lunatus var. macrocarpus, or P. limensis[13]). In the United States Sieva-type beans are traditionally called butter beans, also otherwise known as the Dixie or Henderson type. In that area, lima beans and butter beans are seen as two distinct types of beans, although they are the same species. In the United Kingdom and the United States, “butter beans” refers to either dried beans which can be purchased to rehydrate, or the canned variety which are ready to use. In culinary use there, lima beans and butter beans are distinct, the former being small and green, the latter large and yellow. In areas where both are considered to be lima beans, the green variety may be labelled as “baby” (and less commonly “junior”) limas. from https://inaturalist.ala.org.au
Oh no, the food memories that are associated with certain foods we ate as kids. I have the same aversion to goulash. I always hated goulash night. Thanks for the history lesson on butter and lima beans. I honestly had no idea there was such a difference between the two, but now I know. You should totally do a blindfold test just to see if you can taste the difference. xoxo, Jackie