My wife recently had some middle eastern salad from Trader Joe’s called Balela. She challenged me to try and replicate it at home and the result is this Garbanzo and Black Bean Salad.
The first thing I did was look at the list of the ingredients on the packaging itself. I stripped away all the preservatives and all the other ingredients they use in commercially sold food to come up with a list of ingredients I could work with.
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Then I proceeded to experiment with the quantities of each ingredient. The salad from the store listed sumac as one of its ingredients but since I didn’t have any on hand, I substituted for some lemon pepper seasoning.
Recipe Variation
I used Apple Cider Vinegar but you can also use some rice wine vinegar or in a pinch some white vinegar. The canola oil can be substituted with some vegetable oil or just more extra virgin olive oil.
Tips
- Chickpeas and Garbanzo beans are the same thing! Depending on what part of the country and what brand you are using, the cans may be labeled differently.
Italian Parsley and Flat-Leaf Parsley are basically the same thing. Grocery stores may use either name.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Garbanzo and Black Bean Salad recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Garbanzo Beans, Black Beans, Roma Tomatoes, Canola Oil, White Vinegar, Red Onion, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Salt, Garlic Powder, Cayenne, Fresh Mint Leaves and Fresh Italian Parsley.
How to Make Garbanzo and Black Bean Salad
- In a mixing bowl, combine the rinsed beans, tomato and red onion. Stir till well combined.
- Pour the canola oil, apple cider vinegar and olive oil over the bean mixture and stir.
- Add the lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and cayenne and toss until well combined.
- Fold in the fresh parsley and fresh mint and stir.
- While not necessary, I recommend letting the salad sit in the refrigerator covered for about 1 hour to allow all the flavors to meld.
Garbanzo and Black Bean Salad
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Ingredients
- 15 oz Garbanzo Beans, drained & rinsed
- 15 oz Black Beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 Roma Tomato, diced
- 1 Tbsp Red Onion, finely diced
- 1 Tsp Canola Oil
- 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- ½ Tsp Salt
- ½ Tsp Garlic Powder
- ⅛ Tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Mint Leaves, chopped
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the rinsed beans, tomato and red onion. Stir till well combined.
- Pour the canola oil, apple cider vinegar and olive oil over the bean mixture and stir.
- Add the lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and cayenne and toss until well combined.
- Fold in the fresh parsley and fresh mint and stir.
- While not necessary, I recommend letting the salad sit in the refrigerator covered for about 1 hour to allow all the flavors to meld.
This salad turned out great. Was very tasty. Just loved it.
This Garbanzo and Black Bean Salad makes a perfect salad, whether as a side salad and just a salad. My family and I love black beans and garbanzo beans so this salad was the perfect recipe to make.