As far as can be determined, there is no single three bean salad recipe that can claim priority as the 'first' or 'original' recipe. However, there are quite a number of variations on the theme of three bean salad recipes and most of them vary on the amount of work they require.
Kidney beans are a good source of vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium and a very good source of protein, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, copper and manganese. Traditional three bean salad recipes all contain kidney beans, but some include additional salt.
Tip: For those who need to watch sodium intake, be careful with your choice of a three bean salad recipe as kidney beans are also high in sodium!
Here is a really simple Three Bean Salad recipe which calls for the use of canned or off-the-shelf ingredients and takes no cooking whatsoever:
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 green bell pepper - sliced thin
1/2 1 small red onion - sliced thin
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can French cut green beans
1 can yellow wax beans
salt and pepper -- to taste
Instructions:
Combine vinegar, preserves and celery seeds in a salad bowl. Add onion, bell pepper and beans. Toss well to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: Red wine vinegar--or any vinegar--will aid in digestion and often used by those looking to lose a bit of weight. Vinegar curbs your appetite by speeding up your metabolism. Fat (AKA: energy source) moves from your own cell storage through your bloodstream to balance the acid in your stomach from your vinegar meal. It doesn't have to be a three bean salad every day, but a salad dressing with more vinegar than fat (oil) is a good, safe weight loss aid.