Grilled Veggie Salad with White Beans
Seasonal summer grilled veggies with white beans in a Provençal-inspired vinaigrette.
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Ingredients
Beans and Grilled Vegetables (Salad Ingredients)
- 3-4 cups cooked flageolet or other white beans - (see notes)
- 2 cups cubed eggplant - (see notes)
- 2 cups zucchini or yellow squash - halved lengthwise and cut in 3/4" slices
- 1 cup tiny tomatoes
- 1 medium sweet or red onion - cut in wedges
- 1 red bell pepper - charred, peeled, stem and seeds removed, cut in strips
- 3 tablespoons capers
- sea salt/fresh ground pepper
Anchovy-Dijon Vinaigrette
- 1 lemon - juice and zest
- white wine vinegar - enough to bring lemon juice to 1/4 cup
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic - I especially love roasted garlic for this
- 1-2 anchovies - optional, see notes, or a squeeze of anchovy paste (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon raw sugar
- ¼ cup fresh herbs - thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil, chives
- sea salt/fresh ground pepper - season to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the beans if they're not yet prepared.
- Add the eggplant, zucchini or yellow squash, tomatoes, and onion to a grill basket. Grill over medium high until tender with nice grill marks.
- Char the red bell pepper (unless you're using one from a jar). Remove the charred skin, stem, and seeds, then slice.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a small blender or processor. Blend vinaigrette well. Taste for seasoning. (This is SO IMPORTANT!).
- Add all bean salad ingredients to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the vinaigrette as per your preference. Garnish with lemon slices and additional herbs as desired.
Notes
Beans can be soaked overnight and cooked on the stove, but my preferred method is with my pressure cooker as they're done start to finish with no pre-soak in about an hour. As I mention in the post, I usually just do the entire bag, and freeze what I don't need. These instructions from Bob's Red Mill include both methods.
If you can't find flageolet beans, substitute navy or cannelini. I stress the superior texture of using cooked dried beans over canned, but you can substitute canned in a pinch. It'll still be a good dish.
Eggplant comes in many varieties. If I use a large globe shaped eggplant (typically found at most groceries), I cube it, salt it generously, and leave the eggplant in a colander to "sweat" for 30-45 minutes. Then I rinse thoroughly. I find this process reduces some of the weird mouth feel of some eggplant varieties. On the other hand, if I've been to the farmers market, and have some lovely small eggplants, I skip that process!
I prefer to char my own red bell pepper, but I have been known to sub a pepper from a jar. I like piquillo pepper as they seem to hold their shape better.
When I make a vinaigrette, I typically go for a 1:3 ratio of acidity (lemon juice, lime juice, good vinegar, etc.) to good oil (olive, nut oil, truffle or other artisan oil). I do taste and add (can't subtract :-D ). For this vinaigrette, I like a combination of lemon juice and white wine vinegar. I squeeze the lemon into a measuring cup, and then add the vinegar to bring it to 1/4 cup. We don't dress salads heavily, so I store remaining dressing in a mason jar in the refrigerator.
It is the anchovy, lemon, caper, herb combination that gives this dish its characteristic Provençal flavors. If you just can't handle anchovy, omit it, but don't tell me. ;-) Note: Anchovy is not vegan, so omit it if you're following a vegan diet.
I serve this atop baby greens, but that is definitely optional!
Macronutrients (approximation from MyFitnessPal.com): 228 calories; 6 g protein; 15 g fat; 17 g carbohydrates. Macros based on serving as a side dish for 6 using half of the vinaigrette.
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 15g
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
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