Smart Gal Salad: Tri-Color Peppers, Hearts of Palm, Cilantro

This recipe is quick, easy and satisfying assemblage cooking at its best. The fresh veggies take a couple of minutes to chop and the hearts of palm are canned. This salad can be assembled in 5 minutes. For real. While I make this salad most often in the summer for barbeques and picnics, it occurred to me that all of the ingredients are easily found at great quality year round and I ought to branch out and enjoy it in the winter as well. It lends itself well to being bulked up into a main dish for a vegetarian night meal with the addition of some cotija cheese and garbanzo beans. I can’t take all the credit for it though; I first had a version of this salad at the culmination of my Women’s Health Law Course. My instructor and mentor made this salad for lunch. I still think of her and all the smart women who were in that course every time I make it. So this is a special tribute to her.

1 each: red, yellow and orange bell pepper; large dice
14 ounce can hearts of palm cut into ½ inch rounds
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce (or soy for vegetarians)
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon sesame seed oil
½ teaspoon salt

Dice peppers. Place diced peppers, sliced hearts of palm and chopped cilantro in a bowl. Drizzle the lime juice, fish sauce, oils and salt over the salad. Toss well.
I serve this as a main course sometimes and add 14 ounces drained and washed canned garbanzo beans and 2 ounces of cotija cheese crumbled. I’ve also added blanched asparagus and green beans but the possibilities are endless.