I made this black bean salad last night and it was a hit! I dubbed it “Confetti Salad” because of all of the beautiful colors. The black beans, corn, pepper, onion, and tomatoes made a hearty, filling meal. By using no-salt added canned beans and tomatoes, along with frozen cooked corn, I was able to keep this recipe nutritarian, no salt added, and heart-healthy. And did I mention – delicious?!
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Black Bean Salad: Nutritarian Dinner Recipe
One of the hallmarks of the nutritarian diet is the use of several key food categories as the basis of meals. These categories can be remembered by the acronym “G-BOMBS” which stands for: Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds. (Remember, these are food categories, not a single food. Within “greens” for example, you’ll find a plethora of green leafy vegetables, including kale, lettuce, chard, etc.)
The nutritarian diet, a name coined by Dr. Joel Fuhrman in his book Eat to Live, is packed with nutrients. It relies heavily on no salt, no oil, healthy fresh vegetables and a wide variety of vegetables to provide powerful antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber in the diet. I highly recommend this diet for anyone looking for permanent weight loss or to reduce unhealthy food cravings.
Nutritarian Dinner Recipes
One of the challenges, however, of becoming a nutritarian is the difficulty of finding recipes online. Dr. Fuhrman includes some in his book but recommends “keeping things simple.” The Watering Mouth and Hello Nutritarian are good source of ideas, inspiration, and recipes, but I find that too many recipes rely on a high speed (ie, expensive VitaMix) blender.
I’ve come up with my own creative nutritarian recipes like this one for nutritarian dinner recipes that everyone enjoys. They are healthy and filling, and provide plenty of leftovers for lunches during our busy work week.
Confetti Salad: Bright Colors, Plenty of Nutrition
This confetti salad recipe is based on black beans. Black beans contain plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals and more. They also taste great!
Purchase no-salt added canned black beans to keep salt low in this recipe. We found “Great Value” no salt added beans at Walmart.
Another hint: If you have fresh tomatoes, great! Dice them into the salad. If not, canned no-salt added and drained diced tomatoes are a quick substitute.
Lastly, use bright red or green peppers for added pretty colors in the salad.
I served this with rice and farro. Farro is a whole wheat grain available in specialty markets. My husband prefers rice, so I made that for him. The farro was all mine. Yum! Mix the salad over the grain, drizzle with the healthy lime-olive oil dressing, and it’s a tasty burst of flavor along with a filling, healthy nutritarian dinner.
Black Bean Salad Recipe: Confetti Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can no-salt added black beans
- 1 can no-salt added diced tomatoes
- 1 bag frozen corn
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium pepper (red or green makes a pretty salad)
Dressing
- 1 tbs olive oil extra virgin
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/8 teaspoon coriander
Instructions
- Drain black beans and rinse in a colander under cold water.
- Drain tomatoes and mix with black beans.
- Cook corn according to package directions, then mix with beans and tomatoes.
- Dice onion and pepper. Add to tomato, corn and black bean mixture, tossing to combine.
- Mix salad dressing in a measuring cup. Set aside at room temperature.
- Chill salad 1 hour, then serve with dressing on the side. Refrigerate unused salad. (Dressing does not refrigerate well as olive oil can coagulate.)
More Great Healthy Recipes from Home Garden Joy
Jeanne Grunert is a certified Virginia Master Gardener and the author of several gardening books. Her garden articles, photographs, and interviews have been featured in The Herb Companion, Virginia Gardener, and Cultivate, the magazine of the National Farm Bureau. She is the founder of The Christian Herbalists group and a popular local lecturer on culinary herbs and herbs for health, raised bed gardening, and horticulture therapy.
