Three-bean salad

This is a summer standard for me.  I don't care if you do everything else out of a can or bottle, to include the dressing.  However, you simply must cook the green beans yourself, and they must be fresh.  The easiest way to do this is to chop both ends off the beans and then drop them into boiling water.  You shouldn't have to string them first at this time of year - they should still be quite young.  Once they're in the water, wait until they turn bright green and immediately scoop them out with a slotted spoon into ice cold water. 

Now, slice them up into bite-sized pieces and place them into a bowl with one 14 1/2 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained, and the same size can of kidney beans, also rinsed and drained.  I prefer using the lower-sodium ones.  Can you make the beans and chickpeas from scratch?  Sure, but it's really hot and humid in some parts of the country right now and I certainly don't expect you to simmer things for hours on end!  This is one of those times when processed food makes sense.

You can add in some chopped fresh tomatoes and onions if you like, as well as some chopped fresh parsley.  Dress with 2 parts olive oil to one part red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  If you like the flavor of raw garlic (and I do!), chop some up and throw it in with the dressing.  Let everything sit at least an hour to let the flavors marry.  If you're not yet familiar with that expression, taste the salad when it's just made, then taste it after an hour and you'll get the idea.  You can serve this at room temperature.  If it's a super-lazy summer day, don't even bother making the dressing - use some Newman's Own Italian or other favorite Italian dressing.

You'll never buy the ready-made stuff in a can or jar again.  The sweet crunch of the beans with the tartness of the vinegar and the textures of the other beans is a combination you can't get in a ready-made product.  Happy eating, and until next time, I'll see you at the market!