Buying dried beans in bulk has been a secret pleasure of mine the past few months. It is a cheaper and healthier way of getting the protein punch and helps me to become more creative with my meal planning. I usually soak the beans the night before I want to use them, cook them 1-2 hours (depending on the bean), and incorporate them into a main or side dish for the evening’s supper.

Ever since we had a killer navy bean salad at a vegetarian wedding last fall, I’ve been craving a re-creation of it. I found this recipe from Group Recipes for navy bean salad and based my main entree on it. I added some parsley, cilantro, mint, tomato, and carrots to my version. I also omitted the red peppers because I didn’t have any on hand. It turned out to be a very flavorful, zesty, and fresh dish.

To round off the meal, I steamed a head of chopped broccoli and added only lemon pepper for flavoring at the end. It was simple, yet zesty. I also used some of the leftover whole wheat Irish Soda Bread from our St. Patty’s Day Feast slathered with a coconut oil-based spread. Simply divine!

Overall, we’d rate this a 4 out of 5 carrots on the veganlicious scale.