This is a great recipe for the holidays… it’s sort of a pasta salad sans pasta but you could add in any grain to make it more hearty and filling. It’s a super easy dish and you can make it a day in advance or even do all the prep to save time. For the holidays I’m all about these kinds of easy dishes. Although the veggies are slightly Mexican the dressing creates a mesh with Italian basically making it a crowd pleaser! The McCormick Salad Supreme is an awesome combo of herbs and spice that gives an awesome flavor… it’s probably good on anything but I really enjoy it in pasta salads and the like… you can omit and I believe it does have Romano cheese in it so it is not vegan. Also the red pepper flakes are optional because I don’t really like things too spicy, if your group likes spicy feel free to add as much as you want. Same with other seasonings. I took this dish last Saturday to a friend’s gift exchange/Christmas party… I’m notorious for bringing something healthy and veggie based to our friends gatherings and this was no exception. I think more people tried in when I shared it was a homemade Italian dressing coating the veggies. Sometimes a veggie based dish scares people always but I think this one was a winner!!
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
2½ TBSP red wine vinegar
½ TBSP agave or honey
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
¼ tsp salt
1-2 TBSP McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme- optional
1 tsp red pepper flakes- optional
Veggies:
2 green bell peppers
16 oz cherry tomatoes
15 oz can black beans
Directions:
1. Prepare the dressing first: measure and mix all ingredients into large bowl/container with a lid
2. Clean and chop veggies adding to marinade as you go- quarter cherry tomatoes and dice green peppers
3. Drain and rinse black beans and add to bowl
4. Put on lid, make sure it’s on tight and shake to thoroughly combine dressing and veggies
5. Allow to marinate at least 1 hour, up to overnight
6. Serve chilled
Any delicious veggie based dishes for your holiday parties!?!
