===== Three-Bean Salad =====

I use this recipe a lot, but almost never for three-bean salad!  I like its "sauce" for other vegetables, like cucumbers or beets: less oil, and the sugar fixes the water so the vegetables stay crisp (which is why it is used for the beans, I suppose). So, let me present it in two parts: sauce and chunks.

^  Sauce  ^ Better Homes & Gardens ^  ^
^ Ingredient  ^ Original Quantity ^ Easy to remember proportions  ^
| vinegar  |  2/3 Cup  |  4 Tb  |
| sugar  |  1/2 Cup  |  3 Tb  |
| salad oil (not olive oil, a less flavorful, more neutral one) |  1/3 Cup  |  2 Tb  |
| salt  |  1 tsp  |  1/2 tsp  |
| pepper  |  1/4 tsp  |  pinch  |
^  Chunks  ^  Orig. Qty.  ^  ^
| canned green beans |  1 lb. can  |  |
| canned wax beans  |  1 lb. can  |  |
| canned dark red kidney beans  |  1 lb. can  |  |
| chopped green pepper  |  1/2 Cup  |  |
| chopped (or thinly sliced) onion ((from another recipe in another cookbook)) |  1/2 Cup  |  |

  * Prepare ahead of time and let mixture marinate in the refrigerator overnight. The sauce stays liquid and doesn't cling much (only thinly) so making **"too much sauce" doesn't really happen.**
  * The "easy-to-remember proportions" makes enough for **a cucumber or two**. I generally season with a good dusting of dill ("aneth"), and a little chopped shallot if I have some on hand.
  * Same amount of sauce for **500g** (a little over a pound) **of cooked red beets**, sliced, julienned, or diced.

There's also a more Mediterranean recipe that uses [[cucumber_in_yoghurt| a yoghurt sauce]] but I use it less to avoid the salt.