Weekend Cooking - Melon and Bean Salad

I have been staying with my parents three or four days a week lately as my father is rather ill.  I try and make them a few tasty dishes each visit.  While there last week, my mother requested the recipe for a salad I had make for Thanksgiving a few weeks earlier. Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated in October.

This one is totally yummy and could be served as the main dish of a lunch with the addition of some whole grain toast.

It is from the 1986 edition of Smart Cooking: Quick and Tasty Recipes for Healthy Living by Anne Lindsay.  There is a newer edition of this book that should be widely available.

Melon and Bean Salad

1 cantaloupe or honeydew melon
1 can (19 oz/540 ml) red or white kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
2 green onions (including tops)
1 small red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cut melon in half, scoop out seeds.  Remove rind and cut melon into pieces.  You should have at least 2 cups of melon.  Add kidney beans. Cut onions and red pepper into thin strips about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long.  Add Onion, peppers, garlic and parsley to melon-kidney bean mixture; toss to mix.

Whisk together lemon juice and oil; pour over salad.  Add salt and pepper to taste; toss to mix.  Cover and refrigerate until serving time.  may be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

I used a small red onion instead of the green onion. I didn't add the parsley as my kids don't like that green stuff in their food.

For more foodie fun, be sure to visit Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking feature.