Dense Bean Salad Wellness Seeds (Print out)

Protein-rich salad blending chickpeas, kidney beans, veggies, chia, and hemp seeds for vibrant flavor.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beans & Legumes

01 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
03 - 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

04 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
05 - 1 small red onion, finely chopped
06 - 1 cup (about 150 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
07 - 1 medium cucumber, diced
08 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

→ Seeds

09 - 2 tablespoons chia seeds
10 - 2 tablespoons hemp seeds

→ Dressing

11 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
13 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
14 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
15 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
16 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
17 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the chickpeas, kidney beans, and black beans.
02 - Add the diced red bell pepper, finely chopped red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, and chopped parsley to the beans.
03 - Sprinkle the chia seeds and hemp seeds evenly over the mixture.
04 - Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, sea salt, black pepper, and ground cumin in a small bowl until emulsified.
05 - Pour the dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture, then toss thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly.
06 - Allow the salad to rest for at least 10 minutes, enabling chia seeds to absorb moisture and flavors to meld.
07 - Serve chilled or at room temperature as a main or side dish.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's genuinely filling without feeling heavy, which means you can eat a big bowl without the afternoon energy crash.
  • Everything comes together in 15 minutes because there's no cooking involved, just smart chopping and mixing.
  • The chia seeds do something magical as they sit—they absorb the dressing and create this subtle texture that keeps things interesting.
02 -
  • If you skip the rinsing step on the canned beans, the salad will taste bitter and metallic—I learned this the hard way before understanding why the difference was so dramatic.
  • The chia seeds absorb liquid as they sit, which means the salad actually gets better after a few hours in the fridge rather than worse, which is unusual for salads and genuinely helpful.
  • Don't dress this salad more than a few hours ahead if you're serving it to people who prefer crunch over softness, because the vegetables will gradually weep into the dressing.
03 -
  • Make extra dressing and keep it separate—people often want to add more after the initial toss, and having extra on hand means you're not scrambling.
  • The cumin is optional in the ingredient list, but it's really the secret ingredient that makes people ask what they're tasting—add it unless you're serving someone who dislikes it.
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