Recipe #10: Three Two One: Blast Your Face Off Dressing

You'll find this recipe in the Engine 2 Diet Book as "Beam Me Up, Scottie" Dressing.  Of course I don't know the Scottie it is named after so I don't get the inside joke.  You can call it whatever you want.  This is so easy I kinda feel like a fool for not coming up with it on my own!  I served it over a bean and brown rice salad that I took to my first ever vegan potluck (with strangers) last week.  I was a little nervous but everyone was really nice and the food was ridiculously good.  What a great experience to go somewhere and be able to try EVERYTHING without asking questions and not having to hear things like: "Whoops- that has beef broth in it, does that count as meat?" after you have started chowing down.     

3 parts Balsamic vinegar

2 parts Dijon mustard

1 part Agave nectar

Black pepper to taste 

Whisk it up.  If you want it a little thinner just add a few drops of water.  

You'll find more Engine 2 marinades, dressings etc. here. 

Recipe #3: Five Bean Salad

A good friend's mom used to always have a variation of this salad in her fridge.  She told me how to make it about 20 years ago and I still love it and make it quite often.  It is ridiculously easy and it is great to bring to cook-outs and potlucks.  You can use whatever canned beans you like but I like this variation because of the different colors and textures of the beans involved. 

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can butter beans

1 can lima beans

1 can black beans

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

3 drops of hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot is a good bet)

Sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Drain and rinse the beans really well in a large colander.  Shake off excess water.  Pour beans into a large container with a tight fitting lid.  Add remaining ingredients and cover with lid.  Shake well to coat beans with dressing.  Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving and shake well again.  Add more salt and pepper if needed.  Sometimes I'll put extras in there like corn, cumin and lime or dried basil, garlic and lemon.  This is a hard one to mess up so feel free to get creative.  Makes about 15 side dish servings --about 1/2 c. each.