Clean Cooking: Spiced Bean Salad & Lettuce
Clean Cooking is a Tablecrafter series helping you prepare nutritionally-balanced, flavorful, and delicious food you can eat daily without feeling deprived.
For two decades, the proverbial food pyramid dictated the way people ate and did their groceries. Everybody knew that carbohydrates made up the bulk of what they should eat, and relegated fat as a distant priority.
However, this ubiquitous guide we’ve been hearing about since we were kids no longer holds up. The science of nutrition see-saws every now and then — one day we favor butter and vilify it the next. How will you know which ingredients you should stock up on?
Although “eating clean” sounds like last year’s buzz word, it still rests on sound principles. This means choosing meals that incorporate protein, carbohydrates, and fat in a reorganized, updated dietary scheme called My Pyramid.
Clean cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. Even bright-eyed beginners will find this recipe simple and straightforward. It technically doesn’t even need cooking at all. Try it out below.
Recipe: Bean Salad & Lettuce Wraps
Yield: 4 cups bean salad, estimated
Time: 15 minutes (10 for prep / 5 minutes for assembly)
Complete Ingredients
- 1 head loose leaf lettuce, or greens of your choice
• 1 cup canned red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup canned mixed beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
• ¾ cup tomatoes, chopped and deseeded
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped and loosely packed
• 2 limes, juiced and deseeded
• 1 red onion, finely minced
• 1 tsp oregano, ground
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper, optional
• 1 tsp salt
Procedure
- Pull the lettuce leaves apart and dunk them in a large bowl of ice water. Repeat the process until leaves are clean and no more dirt settles to the bottom of the bowl.
- Pat the leaves dry with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside in the fridge.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Toss gently and adjust for seasoning.
- Just before serving, trim the base of the lettuce leaves. Arrange artfully on a plate. Fill the cups with the bean salad. Serve immediately.
If you’ve successfully created this dish, send us a photo to hello@tablecrafter.com or tag us on Instagram. We’d love to see your work!
