White Bean Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

School is back in session, and while that gives us moms a bit of extra time during the day, it also means that the evenings go that much faster.  Between school pick ups, homework, soccer, dance, surf and the occasional night out, there is not much time left for dinner.  Finding a recipe that is tasty, quick and healthy is always a treasure, something to be held on to and shared.  

White Bean Salad fits that bill.  Garden fresh ingredients tossed with a can of Cannellini Beans and a lemony vinaigrette give you a side salad in a matter of minutes, perfect for that night when time is running short.  The ingredients are easily interchanged based on what you have on hand making preparation a piece of cake.  The salad works well with any main meat, especially something hot off the grill or alternatively, paired with some fruit and a side of crusty bread it would make a wonderful light meal all on its own.

I have always avoided zesting lemons as my old zester is somewhat dull and more work than it was worth.  More pith than zest seemed to pile up on my plate, not really conducive to flavoring anything.  However, my newest kitchen gadget (I have a small addiction), a kitchen rasp, made zesting the lemon extraordinarily easy!  Within less than a minute the entire lemon was done and I had finely grated lemon zest on my board.  One more benefit to this lemony salad!

My recent visit to the Vista Farmer's Market provided gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, perfectly ripe avocados and farm fresh Maui Onions, all perfect ingredients for my short on time, summer salad.  With flavor bursting in every bite, this salad will shoot high on my list of repeats.  Luckily, we didn't finish the entire bowl last night and this busy mom had a perfect lunch.

White Bean Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette 

Dressing:
¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1½ Tbs Olive Oil
7 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, pressed
zest of one lemon, finely grated
1 tsp mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Salad:
1 can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup chopped tomato 
1 avocado, diced
½ sweet onion

In a small bowl mix the dressing ingredients together, whisk until well blended.

In a large bowl mix together the salad ingredients.  Add the dressing and toss lightly to coat evenly.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve! 

Note:  this is one of those salads where the ingredients may be change based on what you have on hand.  Fresh red pepper, red onions or cucumbers would be wonderful additions! 

I am submitting this post to Deb, at the Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sunday roundup!  Every Sunday she has a wonderful array of soups, salads and sides submitted from posts all around the world.  Be sure to check it out to see what shows up this Sunday!