Chopped Salad with Kidney Beans, Red Cabbage and Lime-Chipotle Dressing

Finely chopped, fresh and smoky

In a chopped salad, the ingredients are cut into small, roughly equal-sized pieces. Here, that’s about more than presentation: every bite has soft beans, crisp cabbage, juicy bell pepper and peppery radish. Slice the red cabbage thinly and cut the other vegetables into small cubes or slices so the hearty ingredients mix well without turning the salad into a uniform mass. Rinse and drain the kidney beans well; excess liquid would thin the dressing.

The dressing relies on lime for a bright, direct acidity. Garlic adds depth, and a small amount of chipotle brings gentle smokiness. Chipotle paste varies in heat and saltiness from brand to brand, so it’s best to start with a teaspoon and taste before adding more. A little honey or agave syrup rounds out the acidity without making the dressing sweet. Stir or whisk everything together well: the oil won’t stay emulsified with the lime juice, but this makes a dressing that’s easy to distribute over the vegetables.

Red cabbage and radishes are often available year-round; bell peppers are usually at their best in the warmer months. Outside bell pepper season, you can use a firm pointed pepper or leave out the pepper and add a few extra radishes. No fresh cilantro on hand? Flat-leaf parsley has a different flavor, but works as a fresh, herbaceous substitute. The cilantro stems are useful too: finely chop them and mix them into the salad instead of throwing them away.

Toast the pumpkin seeds briefly in a dry skillet. Stay close and shake the pan regularly: once the seeds smell fragrant and have colored in places, they’re ready. They’ll stay crisp if you sprinkle them over the salad just before serving. You can prepare the salad ahead: chop the vegetables and refrigerate them, covered, with the rinsed beans. Keep the dressing separate and preferably mix it in shortly before eating; cover and refrigerate leftovers and eat them within a few days. Store the seeds separately at room temperature.

Serve the salad on its own for lunch, or with warm corn tortillas and avocado if you’d like to make it a more substantial meal. Those additions aren’t needed to make the salad complete, but they go well with the lime and chipotle. If you’re taking the salad with you, pack the dressing and pumpkin seeds separately and add them just before eating: that way the cabbage stays firm and the seeds stay crisp.