A Potassium Rich Vegetable Medley

Taking my background research in beans, frozen veggies and salsas, I created the following recipe for a delicious and heart healthy vegetable medley.

Preparation:

1. A can of high potassium/low sodium black or kidney beans: 2400 mg potassium, 35 mg sodium, 3.5 g fat.
2. 2/3 cup of (steamed or boiled) high potassium/low sodium lima beans: 640 mg potassium, 3 mg sodium, 0.5 g fat.
3. 1 cup of (steamed or boiled) high potassium/low sodium peas: 350 mg potassium, 8 mg sodium, 0.6 mg fat.

Mix these 3 ingredients and place in a sealed tupperware container to refrigerate between servings. The mixture should remain fresh for at least 7-10 days and yield about 4-5 servings.

Serving:

1. Roughly 1 to 1-1/4 a cup of the bean/pea mixture (about 1/4 of the preparation): 848 mg potassium, 12 mg sodium, 1.2 g fat.
2. 1 tablespoon (or less, depending on preference) of a low sodium salsa of your choosing (I like a corn relish or mango/peach salsa, among others): 40 mg potassium, 43 mg sodium, 0 g fat.
3. 1/8 a cup of low fat (2%) mozzarella cheese: 20 mg potassium, 90 mg sodium, 2.5 g fat.

Mix the bean/pea selection, salsa & mozzarella and serve cold.

That's it - a small amount of preparation for 4-5 servings and then a quick "mix & serve". What do you get? A delicious potassium rich vegetable medley to add as a salad component to any meal. The final analysis of each serving: 908mg potassium, 145mg sodium, 3.7g of fat - a 6:1 potassium:sodium recipe that is low in fat and tasty to eat!

A variation I often do on this recipe: skip the mozzarella and mix just the beans, peas and salsa. The result: 888mg potassium, 55mg sodium, 1.2g fat - a 16:1 tasty potassium:sodium recipe!