Everything Rainbow Bean Salad

Serves 4 as a side.

Here’s a fresh take on bean salad! Everything Rainbow adds earthy and bright notes to both the salad and croutons. Great as a side, this hearty salad also makes a nice lunch.

Notes:  Use slightly stale, artisan-type bread for making the croutons. Trim off the crust, then cut the bread into cubes or tear it into bite-size chunks. To easily julienne the carrots (or radishes), cut into very thin slices, then stack the slices and cut them into thin strips. If you’re not a cilantro fan, substitute 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint or basil.

For the croutons:
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Everything Rainbow
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2½ cups cubed or torn bread

For the salad:
1 can (14 ounces) cannellini or Great Northern beans
2 radishes thinly sliced or julienned
6–8 sugar snap peas sliced thinly on the diagonal
½ carrot, peeled, thinly julienned
1 tablespoon minced chives
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Everything Rainbow
5 teaspoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro 

Make the croutons  Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Put the olive oil, mustard, Everything Rainbow, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the bread and use your hands or a spatula to toss with the oil mixture until the bread is coated with oil and spices. Transfer the bread to a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the croutons are very crisp with golden edges, 8–12 minutes. Set aside to cool (the croutons will crisp further as they cool).

Note: croutons can be made a day or two ahead of time; store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Make the salad  Pour off almost all of the liquid from the beans but don’t drain them in a sieve (the liquid clinging to the beans will thin the mayo for the dressing). Dump the beans into a large mixing bowl, then add the remaining ingredients, except the cilantro. Stir gently but well, until the dressing is smooth and the vegetables are thoroughly mixed with the beans. Add the cilantro and stir to distribute it through the salad.

A few minutes before serving the salad, stir in the croutons — this keeps them crunchy for a satisfying textural contrast with the creamy beans.

Note: If you make the salad ahead of time, remove it from the fridge about 15 minutes before serving (the flavor is better when the salad isn’t ice cold), then add the croutons.