With warm weather finally on the horizon, I made this easy black bean and garbanzo (chickpea) salad. It takes about five minutes to assemble and once it has been refrigerated for 30 minutes or so it is ready to be enjoyed! Not only is this hearty salad full of fiber and good for you, it tastes fantastic.

This is a great dish to make for a pot-luck get-together – the guests will eat it up!

Ingredients (Makes about 5 cups)

• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed (I used Bush’s)
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (Bush’s again)
• ½ medium sweet onion, diced small
• ½ large red pepper, diced small
• 4-5 green onions, diced small (use green and white parts
• ½ cup green olives stuffed with pimentos, sliced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ lime, juiced
• Hot sauce to taste
• Sea salt to taste
• Ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. You can serve this as a stand-alone salad or as a side dish.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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