This week our friends at Further Food developed a healthy recipe exclusively for one of our readers. The carrot and mung bean salad you see here was created for Erika B., who wanted a dish that features beans, onion, vinegar, and other veggies. Sautéed carrots and a cumin vinaigrette combine to create an abundance of flavor in one hearty bowl.

Dry-Mung-Beans

You can eat this salad on its own over a bed of spinach or serve it with roasted salmon or chicken. Mung beans are usually eaten as sprouts, but cooking the unsprouted beans like any other provides a good source of plant protein, iron, and healthy fiber to any meal. This dish can be made vegan by leaving out the feta cheese, as pictured above. If you do not have dietary restrictions the cheese offers an extra hit of creamy and satisfying flavor.

carrot and mung bean salad with feta

Photos by Caroline Chambers

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup mung beans
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 red onion, chopped into 1/2-inch dice
  • 3 medium carrots, chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided

Directions

  1. Soak the mung beans overnight.

  2. Preheat oven to 400°F.

  3. Boil the mung beans in water until they are soft, but retain a bite. About 40 minutes. Do not add salt! This will toughen the beans.

  4. While your beans are boiling, toss carrots and onions in 2 Tbsp of olive oil and ½ tsp of salt. Roast your carrots and onions in a baking tray in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until soft, but retain a bite.

  5. Assemble vinaigrette: toast cumin seeds in a dry pan on a medium heat until fragrant (about 1 minute). In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, ½ tsp salt, 2 Tbsp olive oil and toasted cumin seeds.

  6. Drain mung beans and place in a bowl. Add vinaigrette to bowl while beans are still warm.

  7. Add roasted carrots and onions and feta cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories
254
Total Fat
18g
Saturated Fat
4g
Cholesterol
16mg
Sodium
790mg
Carbohydrates
17g
Dietary Fiber
5g
Sugars
4g
Protein
7g
YIELD:

4 servings