My oldest son is home for the 4th and we are having a cookout just like almost every household in America.  My husband is cooking spicy brats and roasting corn on the cob.  I decided to make a bean salad to have with it.  I was never a big fan of the classic three bean salad so I decided to try something a little different.  Instead of vinegar, I used lemon and lime juice with a good olive oil.  Spiced it with cumin, coriander and fresh cilantro.  Red onion for color and fresh pepper from the garden.  I used dark red kidney, black and garbonzo beans.  I served it with some marinated feta cheese that I had made earlier in the week, so I knew it would be ready for today.  It made for a lovely addition to the regular fare.

You’ll need:

1 can each of dark red kidney, black and garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 of a large red onion, finely diced

1/2 cup each red sweet peppers and green peppers (hot ones if you like!)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp kosher salt

lots of fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

juice of one medium lime and one medium lemon

4 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Rinse and drain the beans. Place in medium size serving bowl.  Add onions, peppers, cumin, coriander, and cilantro, then salt and pepper.  Give it all a nice stir.  Mix lemon and lime juice with olive oil and pour over the entire mixture.  Stir once more.  Put it in the refrigerator for a least an hour for the flavors to blend.  Serve cold.  Enjoy!