Créole Spiced Bean and Vegetable Salad

What a delightfully delicious salad and so easy to make! This salad is overflowing with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – keeping us healthy and our immune systems strong. Louisiana Créole cuisine, is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana (Greater New Orleans area) that blends French, Mediterranean, Spanish, African, and American influences. Historically, the term Créole was first used to refer to colonists of French/Spanish descent who had been born in Louisiana. In present Louisiana, Créole has come to mean a people of generally mixed French, African American, Spanish, and Native American ancestry.

Serves 6
recipe from Gordon Ramsay

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
200g French beans, trimmed
2 zucchini (courgettes), trimmed and sliced into 1.5cm rounds
8 spring onions, trimmed and cut into short lengths
400g can haricot or butter beans, drained and rinsed
400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
bunch of fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
bunch of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

For the Créole Spice Mix:
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
pinch of chili powder, or to taste

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion with some salt and pepper. Stir frequently over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until the onion is soft. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the Creole spice mix in a small bowl. Add to pan and stir for another minute or until fragrant. Tip the beans, zucchini and spring onions into the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes until tender. Turn off the heat, add canned beans and chickpeas along with the cherry tomatoes, and toss to mix. Transfer the salad to a large bowl and stir in the chopped herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Amazing flavors with different textures coming from this dish and one that certainly doesn’t disappoint! I used a pinch of just the cayenne as the brand I have is quite potent. I wanted some heat but not so much that it out powers the lovely flavors of the vegetables.