good for the heart*

Mother's Day foods are usually of the sinful and decadent variety, and I've taken that route twice before. We're trying something a little different this year.

While my gift to Mamster will most certainly be some sort of dessert (I'm thinking coconut cream pie, just to mix things up), I've decided to feature one of her favorite recipes here in her honor. She loves this salad and, though it took me some time to come around, I love it too. It's toothsome and tangy but sweet, and your bean options are absolutely unlimited. Truth be told, I haven't yet placed a bean between my lips that I didn't like.

I declare bean war.

Yes, the beauty of the recipe is that you can pick whatever beans you want and in doing so, you'll be changing the nature of the dish entirely! What's more, you can use any form of bean you have in storage, whether they be factory-canned, frozen, canned at home, or dried. Case in point:

1. black beans, rehydrated from dried
2. yellow wax beans, planted, grown, plucked, and canned by Mamby-pamby
3. chickpeas, from a can
4. green beans, planted, grown, plucked, and canned by the Great Mambino

I'm still pretty squeamish around the raw onion in this, but maybe by this time next year, I'll like it too. Happy Mother's Day!

*Like beans and mothers. See what I did there?

Four (or Three)(or Twelve) Bean Salad
Serves 10-12
Ingredients:

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can or 2 cups yellow wax beans
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans or 4 cups green beans
• 1 (15-ounce) can or 2 cups black beans
• 1 (16-ounce) can or 2 cups garbanzo beans
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup distilled white or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
Empty all the beans into a colander and rinse well; pour them into a large, sealable, leak-proof container.
In a small pan, whisk together the sugar, pepper, vinegar, and olive oil.
Bring this mixture to a boil, then let it cool.
Add the vinaigrette to the beans, place the lid on the container, and give it a thorough shaking.
Refrigerate for at least a few hours (overnight is better).
Serve cold.