Black Beans & Chestnut Salad

# of servings:  4	Soak Time:  Overnight (optional)
Preparation Time:  10 mins	Cook Time:  20+5 mins (optional)

This protein-rich, nutrient-filled salad is satiating and refreshing as well.  The different textures, natural flavors and pleasing colors..., all make this salad very appealing.  With a quick homemade dressing, this qualifies as a healthy meal for sure!

Ingredients:

• Microgreens - 2 fistfuls
• Black beans - 1 can (or) 1 cup cooked
• Chopped bell peppers - 0.5 cup
• Roasted chestnuts - 1 packet
• Cucumbers - 2
• Chopped spinach - 2 cups
• Cherry tomatoes - 1 cup
• Homemade Italian salad dressing - 0.5 cup

Method:

• Rinse the black beans if using from a can.  If not, can be cooked in a pressure cooker ('Bean' mode in IP.  See 'tips' for extra steps)
• Chop the bell peppers, cucumbers and spinach
• Dice the roasted water chestnuts into smaller chunks
• In a tsp of oil, roast the bell peppers for a couple minutes.  Turn off the heat when they turn shiny and start leaving the oil
• Arrange all the ingredients in layers as desired (or) toss them all together 
• Drizzle generous portion of Italian dressing (or as desired) and serve immediately

Tips and Tricks:

• If cooking black beans, soak 0.5 cup of beans overnight.  Rinse the beans well and add 4 cups water.  Add salt and a little sugar while cooking.  This ensures no bland spots in the salad and brings out the natural sweetness in the beans
• Roasting the bell peppers adds to the taste as well as texture, rather than raw peppers

Pictures: 

Final Outcome: