Rich Terapak's Three Beans Plus Salad

Recipe from “The Big Book of Backyard Cooking” by Betty Rosbottom (Chronicle Books, $19.95).

Salad:

3 15-ounce cans black beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry

1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1 cup chopped yellow or red bell pepper

1 cup chopped red onion

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 to 5 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled or broken into small pieces

Salad: Place all the beans in a large, nonreactive bowl. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno, and mix well. Dressing: Whisk together oil, vinegar and cumin in a small bowl. Pour over the bean mixture. Add cilantro, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. (The salad can be prepared five hours ahead; cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.)

To serve, mound salad in a large shallow bowl and sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese. Serves 10.

Per serving: 295 calories; 15 g fat (4 g saturated fat; 46 percent calories from fat); 32 g carbohydrates; 10 mg cholesterol; 659 mg sodium; 12 g protein; 10 g fiber.