Roasted Red Pepper & Potato Salad

I learned a few years ago how to roast my own red peppers and now I'm addicted to it.  The store-bought ones are expensive and floating in so much oil.   The sweet, roasted red peppers combined with garlic, scallions, lemon, and fresh parsley, make this dish to-die-for!  You have your complex carbs and veggies in one side-dish.  It travels well because it can be eaten warm or cold.  Yipee!

If you've never tried it, here's how to roast a red bell pepper:
Preheat oven broiler.  Wash, clean out, and cut up bell pepper.  Place on baking sheet or stone.
Place under the broiler, turning every 3 minutes until the skin is blistered, about 10 minutes total.
Place blistered peppers in a brown paper lunch bag and seal, for 10 minutes, allowing to steam and cool.
Remove peppers, peal off skin, and dice up.

Salad Ingredients:
1 roasted red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 pounds of white baby new potatoes (boil for 10 minutes, then cut in half)
3/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cooked (steam or micro, however you do it)
5 or so scallions, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 Tablespoon of dried parsley flakes, or 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf, washed and chopped

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing:
In a small bowl and whisk together
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Squeeze in half lemon
Pepper

Toss salad and dressing together and Eat It Up! Makes 6-8 servings.

Cold Bean Salad

Yes another salad!  This salad is so easy to make, I whip it up all the time.  I've even brought it to potlucks. This is actually meant as a side-dish but I eat is as a main dish.  It's got your protein, green veggie, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  There's a secret ingredient that makes it hard to stop eating!  Check it out.

Adapted from Vegan Heartland:
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed, I leave them long cuz it looks prettier
1 cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 small red onion, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup organic olive oil or organic expeller pressed canola oil
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup, surprise!
Salt and pepper to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon

Steam or blanch green beans (or get the microwave in a bag kind), and cool
Mix dressing and toss with beans
Eat and feel good!