Fast(ing) Food - Honey Bean Salad

Day 67, Feast Day #35

I have been struggling to eat a decent amount of iron lately without eating a good hunk of beef or a bowl of steamed clams it seems like. Due to the constraints of my time and my income, I can't be eating steaks or mollusks weekly. It also appears that Zach and I didn't buy enough iron-rich veggies this week.So I whipped together a more primal version of a classic potluck dish, a marinated three-bean salad, in hopes of getting a little more protein in my diet on the cheap. I substituted refined sugar for honey and avocado oil for vegetable oil  Canned beans are not an ideal food for both primal (stricter people do not condone eating legumes) and non-primal reasons (the can), however, they are cheap. Zach's got to finish his doctorate degree before my pantry lacks cans of beans in it.

Note: Avocado oil is not cheap normally, but remember, I basically got this avocado oil for free. Olive oil is a cheaper substitute that you are more likely to have on hand. Also, I don't consider myself a 100% primal eater, I just have aspirations to transition to a more primal diet.

Marinated bean salad preferences are very prone to individual tastes (like meatloaf, barbecue sauce, and grits recipes). So feel free to adjust the salt, vinegar, and honey to whatever combo of sweet, sour, and savory floats your boat. Add in bell peppers or celery. Go crazy.

Honey Bean Salad (Yields 6 servings) ~153 kcal/serving
Takes 5 minutes
*BONUS* Cost me 50 cents a serving

• 1 can of beans, drained and rinsed (I used light red kidneys) ~385 kcal
• 1 can of green beans, drained and rinsed ~70 kcal
• 1 can of wax beans (sometimes called butter beans), drained and rinsed  ~70 kcal
• 1/4 of a large onion, chopped (I used a yellow one) ~15 kca
• 1/2 cup of vinegar (I used white, white wine or red wine would also work well) ~11 kcal
• 2 tbsp of honey ~120 kcal (if you aren't a big vinegar fan, you can go with even more honey, or less if you want a more sour marinade)
• 2 tbsp of avocado oil ~240 kcal (olive oil would work too)
• 1/4 tsp of celery seed ~2 kcal
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme ~1 kcal
• kosher salt to taste, I used a bit less than a tsp
• black pepper to taste (I used 1/4 tsp at about ~2 kcal)

Mix up the vinegar, honey, oil, celery seed, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, creating the marinade. 

Plop the beans and onion into the marinade. Mix. You can eat it immediately or chill in the fridge until your potluck or picnic.